INTRODUCTION 



Study of Indian Languages, 



WITH WORDS, PHRASES, AND SENTENCES TO BE COLLECTED. 



In .March, ISiil, the Smithsonian Institution published a paper entitleci "Instructions lor researcli relative to the Ethnology and Pliilolotry of 

 America." prepared by Mr. <tEorge CtIbbs; an octavo pamplilet of 51 pages, divided into two parts — the first relating to general Ethnology, the second to 

 Philology. I'nder the lirst head Mr. Gibbs treated of the facts that should be observed and the material collected relating to " crania,'' " specimens 

 of art,"&c., &c., "names of tribes," "geographical position," "number," "iihysical constitution," "picture writing," "dress," "food," "dwelling," 

 "arts," "trade," "religion," "government," "social life," "war," "medicines," "literature," "calendar and astronomy," "history and auticjuities." 

 llnder the head of Philology he gave a brief account of some of tlie peculiarities of tlio Indian languages, with general directions for the best methods 

 of collecting certain words; a simple and practical alphabet; and a comparative vocabulary in English, j^panish, French, and Latin, This vocabulary 

 contains 211 words. The whole was followed by Appendix .\, "Physical character of the Indian races," with a tabulated statement on particulars of 

 inquiry, and Appendix B, "Nuineral Systems." The paper was distributed widely among the missionaries, Indian agents, travelers, and local 

 collectors in Ethnology, and has served a valuable purpose, resulting in the collectious. by various persons, of a large number of vocabularies com- 

 prising all or nearly all of the languages and dialects of the Indian tribes of the ITnited .States and many in British .\meriC4V and Me.xico. It served 

 also to direct incjuiry in the several branches of Ethnography, of which it treats, resulting in the collection of many valuable notes and minor papers 

 on this subject. It has also led to the collection of a great many articles illustrating the industries, arts, means of subsistence, &e., found among the 

 Indian tribes. It has in fact greatly stimulated investigation, giving wiser direction to inquiry, and the results have abundantly proved the value of 

 the " Instructions" and the wisdom of its pulilication ; and it serves to mark an epoch in the history of ethnographic investigation in America. The 

 material which has thus been accumulated is of great amount, and its study has led to such important conclusions that it is deemed wise to prepare 

 a new system of instruction, more comprehensive in plan and more elaborate in detail. First, it is found necessary to enlarge the alphabet so as to 

 Include a greater number of sounds, which have been discovered in the North American languages, and to mark other letters with greater precision. 

 Second, it is necessary to enlarge the vocabulary so as to modify it somewhat, as experience has dictated, so that new words may be collected. Third, 

 it is desirable that many simple phrases and sentences should be given— so chosen as to bring out the more important characteristics of grammatic 

 structure. 



In M.vthology so much has already been done that it Is possible to construct an outline of Xorth American mythology and to give many of its 

 important characteristics. Much has also been discovered in the social and goverjimental organization of the Indian tribes. This branch of inves- 

 tigation has been carried on to such an extent that many interesting conclusions have been reached, especially by Mr. I.KWis H. Morgax, and the 

 subject has been placed on a new and scientific basis. In like manner an advanced stage of study has been reached in all the other branches of 

 ethnographic investigation, and that proper advancement may be made in the future, by taking advantage of what has been done in the past, it is 

 proposed to publish a "Manual of North American Ethnography," which will give a brief outline of the subject in its .several departments, with 

 instructions and hints to the student. 



The presciit paper is to be one of the chapters in this manual. In its preparation, the alphabet was considered to be of prime importance. After 

 devoting much time to the consideration of the subject, and the examination of many alphabets devised by scholars and linguists, none was found 

 against which there wils not serious objections, and the author attempted to devise an alphabet which would contain all the supposed requirements; 

 but there were many difliculties In the way, and many com]>romises to be made in weighing the various considerations. At this stage of the work 

 he applied to the eminent philologist. Professor W. D. Whitnky, for assistance, .\fter much consultation and the weighing of the many consider- 

 ations arising from the large amount of manuscript material in the author's hands, Professor Whitney kindly prepared the following paper 



OX THE ALPHABET. 



In dealing with a nL-w Indian language in a practical way, one of the first things to be done will naturally be to determine how it shall be 

 written down; what sounds it has, and what characters shall be used to represent them. 



This Is by no means an easy matter. It is always hard to understand the sounds of an unfamiliar language so thoroughly as to be able to repro- 

 duce them with accuracy. Moreover, no two languages are made up of precisely the same sounds. Every Indian tongue will be found to contain 



