ON THE NORTH-WKSTERN TRIBES OF CANADA. 



613 



English 

 rain (it rains) 

 sack 

 sit down 



shoes (my moccasins) 

 silk 

 skunk 

 sky 

 sleep (I — ) 



he sleeps 



we sleep 



sleep thou ! 



sleep ye ! 

 swallow {hinmdo') 

 to-day 

 to-morrow 

 white fish (species ?) 

 woman 



Upper Koottinay 

 wd'tluh'kd'kdi'tine 

 utsu'tla, 

 yunk'a' niln 

 gd-tlil'En 

 dqkitlu' Mcu 

 Qd'aas 



a'qldtlmVyH 

 hd'tsTi'omn(i"ne 

 l£dmne"ne 

 hutlKv'mmnd'tla, 

 h'O'mnin 

 k'dmne'lietl 

 gi{y')d'tlai 

 ndho' samncye'tliii 

 kdnme'yet 

 vpa't 

 pd'tlM 



Lower Kootenay 

 okd' dlmki' dine, 

 d'tsuwd'dla. 

 tsisd'h'mi. 

 gd-dlii'md. 



dld'swd [French de la soie}. 

 Qdstai'yd. 

 d'qkidlmu'yit. 

 liotsnu'p''ne. 

 nu'p''ne. 

 Iwdhvupi'nd' did. 

 nil' pin. 

 iiu'pMdl. 

 tc'idVvli. 



nCiliO' sanmuyc'tJiS. 

 lidnmu'yet, 

 ipd't. 

 pddlke'iidm. 



The two tribes of the Kootenays, Upper and Lower, converse with each other 

 with apparent ease, as each knows by heart most of the expressions which are differ- 

 ent in the speech of each. Those Upper Kootenays who never visit the Lower 

 Kootenay territory are very ignorant regarding this dialectic difference. 



The result of our linguistic investigation has been to fix the place of the Kootenay 

 thus : — 



Ki'tona'QE, or Kootenay. An independent linguistic stock, with two dialects, 

 differing slightly in phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary : — 



A. Upper Kootenay. 



B. Lower Kootenay. 



KOOTENAY JAEGON. 



As usually happens where intercourse with the whites takes place, a jargon has 

 sprung up, although its development has been hindered by the use of the wide- 

 spread Chinook. Many of those who speak this ' Kootenay jargon ' imagine they 

 are acquainted with the real aboriginal tongue ; but it consists, in fact, of Kootenay 

 words changed in form and sound to conform to English grammar and phonetics. 

 A few examples will suffice to indicate its general character : — 



Jargon 

 Tub' tlaha' loin 

 d'hilil'd'c 

 slid'taklBt 

 Mo'hlamd'ka 

 hd' mlmi' 2)Qanu 

 sd'ntldho' II, 

 ni'lko 



English 

 horse 



house (his) 

 cold (it is) 

 Stonj' Indians 

 see (I) 

 sick (he is) 

 money 



Kootenay 

 k'dtlaQd' Etltsin. 

 d'qkttld'is. 

 nisltattleu'tme 

 till' tldnuV ska. 

 kunfi'pQd.nB. 

 sd'nitlqd'ne. 

 ni'tlkO. 



By means of this jargon, which consists of a Kootenay vocabulary mutilated to 

 suit European ideas of phonology and grammar, a number of the settlers manage to 

 get along with the Indians, and to obtain a reputation for speaking the Kootenay 

 language. 



SLANG. 



Amongst the young men of the Lower Kootenaj's a number of slang words are 

 used, such as — 



k'u'dld or He' did = horse. 

 7ui'stak'E'dla = colt. 



