﻿26 
  INDIAN 
  LINGUISTIC 
  FAMILIES. 
  

  

  assistants 
  and 
  by 
  collaborators 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  The 
  

   results 
  of 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  all 
  this 
  material, 
  and 
  of 
  much 
  historical 
  data, 
  

   which 
  necessarily 
  enters 
  largely 
  into 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  character, 
  appear 
  

   in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  map. 
  

  

  The 
  contributions 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  fifty 
  years 
  have 
  

   been 
  so 
  important, 
  and 
  the 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  material 
  accessible 
  to 
  

   the 
  student 
  of 
  ( 
  Gallatin's 
  time 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  large, 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   reproach 
  which 
  deservedly 
  attached 
  to 
  American 
  scholars 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  neglect 
  of 
  American 
  linguistics 
  has 
  been 
  removed. 
  The 
  field 
  

   is 
  a 
  vast 
  one, 
  however, 
  and 
  the 
  workers 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few. 
  

   Moreover, 
  opportunities 
  for 
  collecting 
  linguistic 
  material 
  are 
  grow- 
  

   ing 
  fewer 
  day 
  by 
  day, 
  as 
  tribes 
  are 
  consolidated 
  upon 
  reservations, 
  

   as 
  they 
  become 
  civilized, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  older 
  Indians, 
  who 
  alone 
  are 
  

   skilled 
  in 
  their 
  language, 
  die, 
  leaving, 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   imperfect 
  vocabularies 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  future 
  study. 
  History 
  has 
  

   bequeathed 
  to 
  us 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  many 
  tribes, 
  which 
  became 
  extinct 
  

   in 
  early 
  colonial 
  times, 
  of 
  whose 
  language 
  not 
  a 
  hint 
  is 
  left 
  and 
  

   whose 
  linguistic 
  relations 
  must 
  ever 
  remain 
  unknown. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  vain 
  to 
  grieve 
  over 
  neglected 
  opportunities 
  unless 
  their 
  con- 
  

   templation 
  stimulates 
  us 
  to 
  utilize 
  those 
  at 
  hand. 
  There 
  are 
  yet 
  

   many 
  gaps 
  to 
  be 
  filled, 
  even 
  in 
  so 
  elementary 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  study 
  as 
  

   the 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  by 
  language. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  detailed 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  linguistic 
  families, 
  the 
  mastery 
  and 
  analysis 
  

   of 
  the 
  languages 
  composing 
  them, 
  and 
  their 
  comparison 
  with 
  one 
  

   another 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  languages 
  of 
  other 
  families, 
  only 
  a 
  beginning 
  

   has 
  been 
  made. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  above 
  statement 
  it 
  is 
  hardly 
  necessary 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  the 
  

   accompanying 
  map 
  does 
  not 
  purport 
  to 
  represent 
  final 
  results. 
  On 
  

   the 
  contrary, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  tentative, 
  setting 
  forth 
  in 
  visible 
  

   form 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  investigation 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  as 
  a 
  guide 
  

   and 
  aid 
  to 
  future 
  effort. 
  

  

  Each 
  of 
  the 
  colors 
  or 
  patterns 
  upon 
  the 
  map 
  represents 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   linguistic 
  family, 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  families 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   whole 
  area 
  being 
  fifty-eight. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  families 
  of 
  

   languages 
  represented 
  upon 
  the 
  map 
  can 
  not 
  have 
  sprung 
  from 
  a 
  

   common 
  source; 
  they 
  are 
  as 
  distinct 
  from 
  one 
  another 
  in 
  their 
  

   vocabularies 
  and 
  apparently 
  in 
  their 
  origin 
  as 
  from 
  the 
  Aryan 
  or 
  

   the 
  Scythian 
  families. 
  Unquestionably, 
  future 
  and 
  more 
  critical 
  

   study 
  will 
  result 
  in 
  the 
  fusion 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  families. 
  As 
  the 
  

   means 
  for 
  analysis 
  and 
  comparison 
  accumulate, 
  resemblances 
  now 
  

   hidden 
  will 
  be 
  brought 
  to 
  light, 
  and 
  relationships 
  hitherto 
  unsus- 
  

   pected 
  will 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  exist. 
  Such 
  a 
  result 
  may 
  be 
  anticipated 
  

   with 
  the 
  more 
  certainty 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  present 
  classification 
  has 
  

   been 
  made 
  upon 
  a 
  conservative 
  plan. 
  Where 
  relationships 
  between 
  

   families 
  are 
  suspected, 
  but 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  demonstrated 
  by 
  convincing 
  

   evidence, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  deemed 
  wiser 
  not 
  to 
  unite 
  them, 
  but 
  to 
  keep 
  

  

  