Hale.] 14 [March 2, 
For the information respecting these languages I am indebted to the Da- 
kota Grammar and Dictionary of the Rev. 8. R. Riggs (published in the 
Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge) and the Hidatsa Grammar and 
Dictionary of Dr. Washington Matthews (published in Dr. Shea’s Library 
of American Linguistics), both of them excellent works, of the highest 
scientific value, 
The Alphabet. 
The alphabetical method which has been followed by me in writing this 
language, as well as the Iroquois dialects, is based on the well-known system. 
proposed by the Hon. John Pickering, and generally followed by Ameri- 
can missionaries, whose experience has attested its value. The modifica- 
tions suggested for the Indian languages by Professor Whitney and Major 
Powell have been adopted, with a few exceptions, which are due chiefly 
to a desire to employ no characters that are not found in any well-fur- 
nished printing-office. 
The letters b, d, h, k, 1, m,n, p, 8, t, w, y, @ are sounded as in English, 
the s having always its sharp sound, as in mason. The vowels are sounded 
generally as in Italian or German, with some modifications expressed by 
diacritical marks, thus : 
a, a8 in father ; in accented syllables written d. 
a, like the German @ in Mann. 
a, like a@ in mat. 
G, like a in fail. 
é, like a in fate ; in accented syllables 4. 
é, like ¢ in met. 
@, like ¢in machine ; in accented syllables 3. 
3, like ¢ in pin, 
, as in note ; in accented syllables 0. 
6, like the French 0 in bonne. 
0, like o in not. 
vu, as in rule, or like 00 in pool; in accented syllables %. 
uw, like win pull, 
u, like uw in but ; in an accented syllable written &, 
w#, like the French w in dur. 
> 
The diphthongs are, a7, like our long ¢ in pine ; au, like ow in loud; dé, 
like o¢in boil ; du, like win pure. 
The consonants requiring special notice are: 
¢, like sh in shine, 
g, always hard, as in go, get, give, 
Jj, like 2 in azure, 
n, like the French nasal » in an, bon, un, 
q like the German ch in Loch, or the Spanish j in jovene 
