THE GREENLAKDERS. 177 



is of the Anglutinated type. Its construction, though it 

 seems at first sight simple, is extremely complicated. Many 

 Danes who have married native women and have spent a 

 lifetime in Greenland have only gained a working knowledge 

 of the native speech. The difficulty in studying it is centred 

 in the Eskimos' peculiar methods of constructing and com- 

 pounding words which will convey an active meaning ; hence, 

 each word is a complete sentence, or a very large part of it, or 

 perhaps a single word and a series of gestures convey a lengthy 

 idea. 



The question of language is a very long one, and from a 

 scientific standpoint is very interesting ; but it is difficult to 

 analyze it without an overwhelming mass of technical details. 

 The language is well adapted to the peculiar needs of the 

 Eskimo people, but wanting in words to express advanced 

 sentiments. It is rich and often extremely unique in expres- 

 sions for seal-catching, dog-driving, blubber-eating, and animal 

 sentiments, but quite deficient in definite expressions or 

 accurate comparisons for things in general. Everything is 

 either plenty or scarce, big or little, very great or insignificant. 

 There seems to be no intermediate scale. 



Morals are largely matters of convenience : one rarely en- 

 counters very wicked natives, and if judged from our stand- 

 point, even more rarely very good natives. They are usually 

 peaceful and mild-tempered, but jealousy or an infringement 

 upon personal liberty arouses their worst passions. When a 

 person behaves so badly that the community can no longer 

 tolerate his presence he is forbidden to enter the huts, can- 

 not share the food, or hold any intercourse with the others. 

 Nevertheless, so long as he threatens no bodily harm, and 

 displays no murderous intent, little attention is paid to him. 

 He is ignored, and becomes a social outcast, which in this 

 state of society is worse than death ; it is the most effective 

 punishment that an Eskimo can receive. 



