110 
HINTS TO TBAVELLEKS. 
and is understood quite naturally. Signs which are puzzling at first 
sight will prove on examination to be intelligible. Some are imitative 
gestures cut short to save trouble, or they may have a meaning which 
was once evident, like the American Indian sign for dog, made by trailing 
two forked fingers, which does not show its meaning now, but did so in 
past times, when one of the principal occupations of the dog was to trail 
a pair of tent-poles fastened on his back. Besides its practical use, the 
gesture-language has much scientific interest from the perfect way in 
which it exposes the working of the human mind, expressing itself by a 
series of steps which are all intelligible. It will be particularly observed 
that it has a strict syntax; for instance, that the quality or adjective 
must always follow the subject or substantive it is applied to. Thus, 
“ the white box ” may be expressed by imitating the shape and opening 
of a box, and then touching a piece of linen or paper to show its colour; 
but if the signs be put in the contrary order, as in the English words, 
the native will be perplexed. It is worth while, in countries where 
gesture-language is regularly used, to note down the usual signs and their 
exact order. 
In recording a vocabulary of a language not yet reduced to form in a 
grammar and dictionary, the traveller may seek for equivalents of the 
principal classes of words in his own grammar: verbs, substantives, 
adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, &c. But the structure of the language 
he is examining will probably differ from any he is familiar with, the 
words actually used not coming precisely into these classes. The best 
method is for the traveller to learn a simple sentence, such as, “ the men 
are coming,” and to ascertain what changes will convert them into “ the 
men are going,” “ the women are coming.” He thus arrives at the real 
elements of the language and the method of combining them. Having 
arrived at this point, he will be able to collect and classify current ideas, 
such as the following:— 
Actions —as stand, walk, sleep, eat, see, make, &c. 
Natural Objects and Elements —as sun, moon, star, mountain, river, fire, 
water, &c. 
Man and other Animals —as man, woman, boy, girl, deer, buck, doe, 
eagle, eagles, &c. 
Parts of Body —as head, arm, leg, skin, bone, blood, &c. 
