ETHNOGRAPHY OF LEW CHEW. 



47 



another distinguishing feature between them and the Malays and Chinese, for neither of the 

 latter have any of sufficient growth to he mentioned. The other parts of the hody have the 

 same close relation to each other that has just heen noticed. But it is not in the physical 

 development and relation that we are to look for the stringent proof of the identity of origin ; 

 for sometimes the most dissimilar in external appearance can he traced hy other means to a 

 common stock. It is hy the study of languages and dialects that we ohtain more information 

 and light upon the subject of ethnography than hy any other means at our command. History 

 and tradition sometimes afford a clue; hut when minute information is required, they hoth fail 

 us, and we are ohliged again to fall hack to philology to lead us through the lahyrinth in 

 which we find ourselves when endeavoring to unravel the complicated relationship existing 

 among the innumerable nations and tribes of our species. To meet this desideratum, I have 

 paid as much attention to the Lew Chew language as it was possible during our short stay, and 

 have a sufficient number of words to form a short vocabulary, and have carefully compared it 

 with the same terms in the Japanese tongue. I shall now proceed to give it in a tabular form : 





Lew Chewan. 



Japanese. 





Lew Chewan. 



Japanese. 







mi-dsoo 



ts-ya 



fi 



fi 



ts-ki 



ho-si 



ka-zee 



ni-wa-ts-ri 



to-ma-go 



oo-mi 



me 



te 



ha-na 



koo-tse 



ki 









Tea _ 





Sweet-potato 



Pan 







Sun 









Fire 





















Star . 





Basket-chair 





ka-go 

 si-ro-goone 



"Wind 



















Cap 



hachee machee 









Looking-glass 



Book 



ka-ga-mi 

 s'yo-mots 

 k'yokf rokf 



Eye 























Mouth 











Tree 

















It will at once be seen, upon an examination of this comparative vocabulary, that two- 

 thirds at least of the words are almost exactly the same ; the only difference is the orthography, 

 which, in some instances, is slightly different ; but this is a matter of no consequence, so long 

 as the sounds are alike. The spelling of the words of a language, which is written in unknown 

 characters, is discretionary with the particular writers, who have the privilege of choosing such 

 letters in the construction of syllables as seem to convey to their ear the most correct sounds. 



Of the words that are not alike, a strong affinity can yet be found between them, and they 

 almost always have the same roots, only varied in the main by local circumstances. 



The few that do not agree in any respect, and which cannot be traced to a common derivation, 

 I think most probably have been introduced by the Chinese, with whom they have been, for 

 hundreds of years, associated in commerce. The above vocabulary has been collected in a mis- 

 cellaneous manner, and, short as it is, will show the strong relation between the two languages, 

 and demonstrate conclusively that they are dialects of the same tongue. The facts and argu- 

 ments here presented I think are sufficient to convince the candid inquirer, and to solve the 

 problem under consideration, or, in other words, that the Japanese and Lew Chewans had a 

 common origin. 



