554 W. THALBITZER. 
5) The tendency of a phonograph (or the wax roll) to be affected 
by the resonance of the room, the temperature of the air, the degree 
of dampness etc, or the wear and tear on the instrument, oiling, etc. 
There are indeed not a few deviations or disturbances which result 
from these influences before the original product is released from the 
phonograph and transfixed on paper. One is reminded of wheat and 
the white flour which results from the activity of the mill wheel. 
As my Eskimo texts are printed here without “improvements’’ 
of any kind, but pure and fresh as they came out of the phonograph, 
it is evident that they must contain many “errors” or anomalies, 
resulting in misunderstandings, ambiguities, anokolutha, etc. It is 
probable that a question-mark should have been placed beside many 
more text words than is the actual case, and that the phonographic 
records, (my transcriptions), contain more errors than my dictated 
texts. — In the example of an explanation or correction just quoted, 
it was my DD text (and not the Phon. text) which contained the 
correct reading. I had first written down from the wax roll a wrong 
reading which gave no meaning — yet I am sure, in spite of all that 
my immediate notation was defendable and would resemble very closely 
that phonetic picture any other careful recorder in my place would 
have taken from the wax roll. 
An elision often occurs under the stress of rhythm, (from need 
for homo-rhythmics) or on some other account. Especially in drum- 
songs is it the custom to elide the last syllable of the last word of 
the line for the benefit of the following aja-refrain, so that aj (ai 
takes the place of the last syllable. This is only revealed by the 
phonograph, seldom by the dictated text, as seen in the examples 
following here. (Cf. also p. 508, nos. 258—259). | | 
Exemples of incongruities between Phon. and DD texts. 
Phon. DD | Phon. DD 
No в №1). No. BB (1. 5). 
qænanua'nila: | gananu akita' itim ate | mare 
No. 177 (1. 1 and 6). 
Phon. DD 
sananda'al sa'nan'un 
ИГО а: ilivt-utin 
ninala-iaqua:ja ninala-lagüawin 
Ce also pag. 172 (d”n'a'ja etc.) 
No. 188 (1. 2 (4) and 7 (9)). 
ke‘ne‘nüa'nitaia ja ke:ninialit:iler 
qamucial”aniwa'1a ja gamuce'l®3y uamik 
No. 196 (1. 1 and 6). 
tät @rärga tinuna?iwisaja silätera”ko isumanan пот 
mat:alå'rerga ja akitsanitsina: ja mat-alera:’ko akitsan'itsin 
