TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
All changes noted in the ERRATA on page 303 have been applied to
the etext.
As well as several words in Greek, Hebrew and Sanskrit, some unusual
characters are used in this book. These will display on this
device as
► (black right-pointing pointer, or wedge)
☞ (white right-pointing index)
⁂ (asterism) (the original book used inverted asterisms.)
The ☞ symbol was used extensively to indicate that more information
could be found in the Appendix. However, as the publisher notes at
the end of the book, the Appendix was not in fact included in this
volume. A second volume was planned but was never published.
The initials of a contributor of an entry, when present, have been
consistently placed at the end of the entry text. They were sometimes
right-aligned or placed on a separate line in the original book. A
list of the names of the contributors can be found on page 302 at the
end of this book.
The pointer ☞ to the (non-existent) Appendix, when present, has been
consistently placed at the end of the entry. It was almost always
right-aligned or placed on a separate line in the original book.
Some changes to the text are noted at the end of the book.
The Treasury of Languages.
A
RUDIMENTARY DICTIONARY
OF
UNIVERSAL PHILOLOGY.
DANIEL iii. 4.
עממיא אמיא ולשניא
HALL AND Co., 25, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]
ADVERTISEMENT.
The following compilation presents the mere skeleton outline of a
great subject; and, in submitting it to public notice, acknowledgment
is most justly due to Messrs. BAGSTER AND SONS, for permission to
use the literary matter of their interesting and instructive volume,
the “Bible in Every Land;” and to Messrs. LONGMANS & CO., for a
like favour with regard to Dr. Latham’s “Elements of Comparative
Philology,” a laborious, learned, and useful book, without which the
present volume could not have been produced.
The compiler readily apologises for any defects in his matter
and manner; and takes this opportunity to thank his respected
contributors, hereby exonerating them from any responsibility except
for their own signed articles.
A list of signatures and writers will be found in the Appendix.
25, PATERNOSTER ROW,
_February 7th, 1873_.
INTRODUCTION
ON
THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF LANGUAGES,
_Chiefly from_ DR. LATHAM.
AFRICAN.—The best way to study the wide and complex philology of
Africa is to begin with the frontier of the Semitic languages,
remembering that the Ethiopic branch of them is, to all appearance,
indigenous to Africa; then to bear in mind that the Arabic, by
intrusion and extension, is spread over a great part of Northern and
Eastern Africa. The Eastern frontier, however, of the Arabic and
the Syriac is in Asia, and in Asia it begins where the Persian and
Turk areas end. For the philological geography of Africa it will be
found useful to divide the continent into the following sections,
regions, or areas: (1) The first division as North-Eastern until it
approaches the Equator, and the parts between it and the Red Sea—in
geography, Egypt, Nubia, and Abyssinia, in philology the Coptic,
Beja, Nubian, and (in its geographical sense) the Abyssinian regions.
(2) The Barbary States and Canary Islands. (3) The Desert, divided
into the Western or Great (the Sahara), and the Eastern (or Libyan)
Desert. (4) Senegambia, or the drainages of the Senegal and Gambia.
(5) Sudania. This gives us what we get nowhere else in Africa,
a continuous belt or zone of languages, with fairly determined
boundaries from Senegambia to Abyssinia, _i.e._, across the whole
continent in its broadest part. Within the limits of this zone lie
the fundamental materials for the study of African philology and
ethnology. It is only, however, between the parallels of 10° and 15°
N.L. that it is continuous, and this only approximately. (6) The
Coast line. This means the sea-board of the Grain, Ivory, Gold, and
Slave Coasts. (7) The Delta (of the Niger). This brings us within
the Equator, but only on the side of the Atlantic. The Abyssinian
extends to (there or thereabouts) the same parallels on the side of
the Indian Ocean. Neither, however, carries us beyond a limited area
inland. Where these two limits, East and West, end, South Africa
begins. It is, with the exception of the few degrees of latitude just
indicated, either equatorial or belonging to the Southern tropic; it
falls into two divisions. (8) The Inter-Tropical, or Kaffir. (9) The
Extra-Tropical, or Hottentot. All these divisions are simply what
their names imply, except only that Senegambia is made to reach as
far as Cape Mesurado, so as to include the parts about Sierra Leone
and Cape Mount.
AMERICAN.—The primary division is that between North and South. (1)
In North America the connection with Asia is decided. Through the
Aleutian dialect of the Eskimo and the Kamtschatkan it is direct;
through the Yukahiri and other tongues it is indirect. The Eskimo
is a definite class; the Athabascan is also a definite class when
compared with the Algonkin. The Chemmesyan, Hailtsa, Wakash, and
Chinook are connected. The Jakon and Kallapuiah lead to the languages
of the Sahaptin and Shoshoni class, among the congeners of which
the sound of “tl” appears. In the Mexican it becomes prominent.
Between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific the Algonkin appears
to have spread from West to East, and the result has told most on
the Iroquois family. The South Oregon languages graduate into the
Californian, the Californian into those of the Paduca class and those
of Sonora, till we come to two great divisions, the Mexican and the
Maya. (2) In South America there is a reappearance of the phenomena
of the North: what the Athabascan and Algonkin are in the one
peninsula, the Quichua, the Carib, and, above all, the Guarani are
in the other. With any South American vocabulary of adequate length,
some North American root presents itself; some even from the extreme
North, viz., the Eskimo area, which, along with the phenomena of
transition, is the chief argument in favour of the fundamental unity
of the two classes. The student from Peru finds Quichua words in
every vocabulary he lights upon, whilst the student from Brazil finds
Guarani words.
ASIAN.—Asia and Europe, though different quarters of the globe,
form but a single continent, and as such have characteristics of
their own. One great class of languages is absolutely common to the
two—the great Ugrian or Fin family. We miss, no doubt, in Europe such
districts as those of Caucasus, and the parts to the North of the
Burmese Empire, where numerous mutually unintelligible languages are
pressed together within a small area. Again, the inflected languages
have their seat in Europe; the monosyllabic in Asia. On the other
hand, it is only in the great central continent that Language can be
studied in all its stages: the Monosyllabic stage in the South-East
of Asia, and the Inflectional in Western and Southern Europe. This
makes Asia and Europe the only region in which the whole (or nearly
the whole) history of Language can be studied. Besides this, in
Europe and Asia we have a history. We can see how languages like the
English and Russian are extending themselves; how the German has
extended itself; how the Latin had previously extended itself. We can
see how languages like the Keltic, the Lithuanic, and the Fin recede.
(1) The Western division is the one with which we are most familiar;
it includes Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Valley
of the Danube, and Greece; allowance being made for the Turk and
Hungarian, which are intrusive. (2) The great Northern area is in
Russia conterminous with the Western, which means, roughly speaking,
Northern Asia with a large part of Europe; the chief displacements
having been effected by the great spread of the Turk language. (3)
The South-Eastern area begins with the North frontier of China, and
includes Thibet, Nipal, the Transgangetic peninsula, Assam, Siam,
Pegu, Cambogia, Cochin-China, and China. (4) The South-Western
area contains India, Persia, and the Caucasus; here the displacing
languages are Indian, Persian, and Arabic, which last is treated as
African.
OCEANIC.—The first thing which commands attention is its thorough
insular or oceanic character; subordinate to this is the remarkable
distribution of its members. In one great division, viz., the
Polynesian, the diffusion has been decidedly recent. The first
primary division contains the Malay; the second has been called
Micronesian; the third division is Polynesia proper. The second group
is called Kelenonesian or Melanesian, including Papuan, Australian,
and Tasmanian (“Elements,” p. 377). Australian languages are all upon
the same general grammatical construction. Mr. Moorhouse says that
“not one-twentieth part of the words agree in root, and yet there is
evidence sufficient to satisfy any one that they belong to the same
family.” All have suffixes to show relation; a dual in substantives,
adjectives, and pronouns; no sibilant sounds, no auxiliary verb,
no passive voice, no “h,” they abound in the pleonastic, and
distinguish genders by postfixes. The only point of agreement is in
the first personal pronoun, “I”; this is “nga-nga” on the Swan River;
“nga-toa” in New South Wales; “nga-ti,” Adelaide; “ngai-tyo,” Mount
Barker; “gni,” Murchison River; “nga-pe,” Encounter Bay; “ngai,”
Port Lincoln; “nga-ppo,” Murray River; “naddo,” Murrumbidgee River;
“nga-pe,” Lower Murray; “noga-toa,” Hunter River. At the same time,
the Malayan is “nga-n”; the Sumba, “nga-nga”; the Thibetian, “nga”;
the Corean, “nai”; and the Burmese, “ngai.” Yet Dr. Latham finds no
Australian dialects resemble those of the Asiatic Isles. Mr. Norris
first detected similarity of the grammar between the Australian and
the South Dravidian languages of India, spoken before the Aryan
migration to the Ganges. Mr. J. R. Logan, of Singapore, thinks the
Australian the most ancient of the Indo-Australian tongues. He
says they are “a remnant of the Proto-Scythic era of the harmonic
development, and between Chinese and American.” He regards them, with
the other kindred dialects of South-Eastern Asia, as in existence
“before the expansion of the numerals one, two, and three into
higher binary and ternary terms.” According to him, “the pronominal
roots are compounded with definitives, singular and plural, with the
numeral two to form duals, with masculine and feminine definitives in
the third person, and in all the three persons with each other; thus
producing not only absolute and relative plurals of the first person,
but several other complex plurals.”
J. B.
_October 31st, 1873._
DICTIONARY OF LANGUAGES.
☞ For Additions see Appendix. ☞
A.
AACHEN.
A sub-dialect of low-German or PLATT-DEUTSCH, vernacular at
Aix-la-Chapelle, Lower Rhine. See Müller and Weitz’s “Idiomatikon,”
Leipsig, 1836.
ABABDEH _or_ ABADEH.
_Semitic_: a different form of speech was formerly vernacular
at Sheikh Abade, in Upper Egypt; the site of some ancient ruins
on the banks of the Nile. Since superseded by ARABIC. Adelung:
“Mithridates,” iv., p. 502.
⁂ A division of the BEJA, BEJAWI, or BISHARI family; they are the
most northerly members of this class, which occupies the desert
between the Nile and Red Sea from Cosseir to Suakim. R. G. L.
ABADJA.
African: a sub-dialect of the OTAM.
ABAK.
A dialect of the Philippine Islands, closely allied to BISSAYAN and
TAGALA. See Jülg’s “Vater,” p. 1.
ABANTES.
An extinct form of speech, classed as THRACO-ILLYRIAN, formerly
vernacular in the I. of Eubœa, now called Negropont or Egripos, in
the Grecian Archipelago. Adelung: “Mithridates,” ii., p. 362.
ABASCI _or_ ABASSIAN, _see_ ABSNE.
ABBEVILLE.
A sub-dialect of FRENCH, vernacular in Picardy. See De Soilly’s
“Idiome Picard,” Abbeville, 1833.
ABBITIBBE.
American: dialect of the Christinos or Cree Indians; classed as
ALGONKIN. See Jülg’s “Vater,” p. 204.
ABENAKI _or_ ABENAQUI.
A dialect of the ALGONKIN race of N. American Indians, spoken in
Lower Canada and the State of Maine. The tribe once occupied the
valley of the R. Kennebeck; but the name also includes the Etchemins,
Micmacs, and others. See Rasles. Dict., 1833; Vocabulary in Amer.
Ethnol. Trans, ii., p. 109.
ABIPONIAN.
A name given by the early Spaniards to the language spoken on the
western bank of the Parana in S. America; although on the borders of
the Gran Chaco it differs considerably from the dialects spoken in
that district. See Dobrizhoffer’s “Geschichte,” 3 vols., 8vo, Vienna,
1784. D. F.
ABOR.
A dialect of ASSAMESE, spoken by a hill tribe on the north-western
extremity of Assam. Logan, Jnl. Indian Archipelago, 1853, p. 190.
_See_ AKA.
ABSNE _or_ ABKHAZIAN.
A name for the ancient ABASCI, now represented by Abascia or Abgah
(Abkasia), a country of Asiatic Russia, lying between the Caspian
and Black Seas. The modern word ABSNÉ is called Abkhazi by the
Georgians; with the terminal “eti” for “land,” it is Abkhazeti,
and extends from Soukum-kale to Jenikale. The affinities of the
Absné language are very uncertain; a large number of its words are
similar to Circassian, but a larger proportion apparently not so. See
Vocabularies in Güldenstädt’s “Reisen;” Klaproth’s “Reise;” “Asia
Polyglotta,” &c. H. H. H.
ABYSSINIAN, _see_ AGAU, AMHARIC, GALLA, TIGRE, &c. ☞
ACADIAN.
American: That division of the ALGONKIN family containing the
languages of Lower Canada and Nova Scotia.
ACAXE.
American: a doubtful name for a probable dialect of the TUBAR.
ACCAD.
The oldest known language before the Semitic population settled in
Mesopotamia. W. S. W. V. _See_ AKKADIAN.
ACCAWAY.
A dialect of native S. American, belonging to the CARIB, or Karib
group. Vernacular in the Highlands of British Guiana.
⁂ CARIB of Demerara, closely allied to the CARABISI. See Hilhouse,
Schomburgk, &c.
ACCRA _or_ ACCARAH.
A language of the MANDINGO branch of native African, spoken by a
small nation on the Gold-coast, about lat. 5° 35′ N., long. 0° 12′
W.; it is sometimes designated the GHAH or GA, and the people are
supposed to have been removed by emigration from the interior. Ghana
or Gana is a city, governed by a Sultaun, near the upper course of
the Niger. Rask’s “Vejledning,” 8vo, Copenhagen, 1828. _See_ AQUAPIM.
ACHÆMENIAN PERSIAN.
The name of that form of the Old PERSIAN language which is used in
the inscriptions of the Achæmenian kings, or the line of native
monarchs which commenced with Cyrus the Great and terminated with
Darius Codomannus, the antagonist of Alexander. The language is
written in an arrow-headed or cuneiform character of a simple kind,
and is closely akin to the Zend, Pazend, and the modern Persian.
The best work on the language is that of Spiegel, “Altpersische
Keilinschriften.” G. R.
ACHAGUA.
A dialect of native S. American, vernacular on the R. Casanare,
a tributary of the R. Orinoco; and closely allied to MAIPUR.
“Mithridates,” iii., p. 631.
ACHASTLI.
AMERICAN: spoken on the coast of California between San Francisco and
St. Diego.
ACHINESE.
A language of the MALAYAN family, spoken in the kingdom of Ache or
Achin, the northernmost part of Sumatra. It is distinguished from all
other Malay languages by having the accent on the terminal instead
of the penultimate syllable, and by a good deal of monosyllables. It
is at present very little known, but its presumed affinity to the
monosyllabic languages of Asia renders its study highly interesting
for investigating the origin of the Malay race. P. J. V.
ACOMA.
A dialect of native AMERICAN, vernacular in New Mexico. It is one of
the dialects spoken by the Pueblo Indians on the R. Grande. It is
also called LAGUNA.
ACROA-MERIM.
American: a dialect of the GEZ class, vernacular in Brazil. See Von
Martius, vol. ii., p. 144.
ADAIHE _or_ ADAIHI.
A very isolated language of N. American. Spoken in Louisiana,
in 1805, by forty individuals only. Vocabulary in “Archæologia
Americana.” It is also called ATAYO. Vocabulary Amer. Ethn. Trans.,
vol. ii., p. 95.
ADALI (_pl._ ADAIEL _or_ ADAL.)
Largely SEMITIC. An Abyssinian dialect, spoken by the tribes between
the Highlands and the sea-coast. See Salt’s “Voyage,” Appdx. i., p.
6. C. T. B.
ADAMPI.
A native African dialect, closely resembling ACCRA and KREPEE,
vernacular on the Gold-coast, W. Africa.
ADAREB, _see_ BEJA.
ADELAIDE.
A variety of native AUSTRALIAN, formerly vernacular at Adelaide, S.
Australia; it differs but little from other dialects of the Gulf St.
Vincent.
ADIGE.
A name for the CIRCASSIAN proper, as opposed to the APKHAZ.
ADIYAH.
Otherwise FERNANDIAN: the language of Fernando Po, an island on the
W. coast of Africa, near the mouths of the Niger.
ÆOLIC.
A dialect of ancient GREEK spoken in Bœotia, Thessaly, Ætolia, Elis,
Lesbos, Chios and the N.W. part of Asia Minor. Pindar, Sappho, and
Alcæus wrote in it. G. R.
ÆTHIOPIC, _under_ E.
AFER.
Native name of the DANAKIL.
AFFADEH.
African: a dialect of the BORNU.
AFFAR, _see_ ADALI.
AFGHAN, _see_ PUSHTOO.
AFNU.
African: a dialect of the HAUSSA.
AFRICAN.
A name for all native dialects of Africa, not directly SEMITIC. Works
by Borth, Kölle, Bleek, Beke, Sir G. Grey, Clarke’s “Dialects of
Africa.” _See_ INTRODUCTION.
AFUDU.
A native African dialect of the OTAM, vernacular on the coast of W.
Africa, about 4° N.L.
AGAU _or_ AGAW.
A language of ABYSSINIA, spoken in three dialects; 1. The HHÁMARA,
or AGAU of Lasta, the Tcheratz Agows of Bruce; 2. The AGÁWI or
AGHAGHA of Agaumider, _i.e._ Agau-land; 3. The FALASHA spoken by the
Israelitish people scattered over the northern and western parts of
the country. Salt’s “Voyage,” Appdx. i., p. 6. C. T. B.
AGGLUTINATIVE.
A name applied to certain languages, when “two unaltered roots
combine to form words;” and words brought into mutual relation by
syntax undergo a change of form, accent, or meaning; the COPTIC, for
example, is considered as essentially agglutinative. The American
agglutinative languages are called polysynthetic or incorporating.
These languages have generally little or no literature.
AGOLELEGMÜT.
The ESKIMO of N. America and Behring’s Straits, especially the island
of Nunivok. The terminal “müt,” which is common from Behring’s
Straits to the parts about Mount St. Elias, is derived from the
Eskimo. See Chromtschenko’s “Reise-Journal,” 8vo, St. Petersburgh,
1824. R. G. L.
AHOM.
A nearly extinct language formerly spoken in Assam, a province of
British India; it is a dialect of SIAMESE, monosyllabic in form, and
appears to have been transported by emigration from the borders of
China.
AHT, THE.
American: dialect of Van Couver Island; spoken by all the W. coast
tribes, from S. of Quatseeno to Port San Juan on De Fucas Straits.
See Sproat: “Scenes of Savage Life.” All the tribes speaking it end
in “aht.” R. B.
AHTIAGO.
A dialect of MALAY, vernacular in Ceram, closely allied to TELUTI and
ALFUROS.
⁂ The more correct form would be ATIAHU, the name of a village on
the S. coast, with a mixed population. The vocabulary quoted by Mr.
Wallace does not constitute a distinct dialect. P. J. V.
AIAWONG.
A dialect of native AUSTRALIAN, belonging to the W. coast.
AIMARA.
A dialect of the Indians of S. America, largely augmented by Spanish.
The natives were subject to the Incas of Peru, at the conquest, and
now inhabit the high ground near Lake Titicaca or Chucuito. They are
closely allied to the Quichua or native Peruvians. _See_ AYMARA.
AIMAUK.
A dialect of MOGHOL, spoken by the Tshehar-Aimauk, N. W. Afghanistan,
in the neighbourhood of Herat.
AINO.
The native name for the language of the Curile Islands, meaning
“man.” ☞
AIRICA.
American: a dialect of the BETOI.
AITUTAKÌAN.
A mixed form of the TAHITIAN and the RAROTONGAN dialects. An island
in the Hervey group, S. Pacific. Example, “mau-tangata” = “men.” W. G.
AKA (1).
A dialect spoken by a hill-tribe to the N. of Assam. It is almost
identical with ABOR. See Brown’s Table: “Transactions of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal,” 1837.
AKA (2).
African: sometimes used for the YORUBA, of which it is a sub-dialect.
AKABI, _see_ UKUAFI.
AKKADIAN.
A name sometimes given to the language used on the earliest
Babylonian bricks, especially those found at Mugheir (Ur), Warka
(Erech), Senkareh, Niffer, and other very ancient Mesopotamian
cities. The general character of the language is TURANIAN; but its
vocabulary connects it with the dialects of Southern Arabia and
Abyssinia, more especially with the Mahra, Galla, and Wolaitsa. The
writing is a rude and very complicated cuneiform. It is supposed that
the language was spoken in Babylonia from a very early age (B.C.
2500?) to the date of the Assyrian conquest, about B.C. 1300. By that
time it had become the language of an extensive literature, and as
such, continued to be studied by the more learned Assyrians down to
the close of the Empire, B.C. 624. The later Assyrian tablets are
to a great extent translations from it. See Rawlinson’s “Ancient
Monarchies,” vol. i., pp. 61-69, 2nd ed. G. R.
AKKIM.
African: a sub-dialect of FANTI.
AKO.
An African dialect, somewhat allied to AFUDU.
AKRA.
African. Language of the Gold-coast, for the parts about Cape Castle.
_See_ AQUAPIM.
AKRIPON.
African: a sub-dialect of FANTI.
AKUSH.
A dialect of LESGIAN, spoken in Daghestan (the ancient Albania), a
district situated between the Caspian and the Black Sea.
AKWAMBU, _see_ AQUAPIM.
ALABAMA.
AMERICAN. Derived from “Alibamon,” the original occupants of the
modern State so called.
ALANI.
A people originally settled in Eastern Europe and Western Asia, very
powerful from about A.D. 75 to A.D. 461. They are now generally
considered to have been of the FINNISH stock, akin to the Ostiaks,
Samoeids, and other races of Northern Asia. G. R.
ALARODII, _see_ URARDA.
ALATYAN.
A name used by Prof. Steinthal for the URAL-ALTAIC or TURANIAN
languages.
ALBANIAN.
The vernacular tongue of modern Albania, a maritime province of
European Turkey, which answers to the ancient Epirus; the inhabitants
are a mixed race, including Arnauts, who are probably descended from
the ancient Illyrians, Greeks, and Turks. The ancient language,
called old ILLYRIAN, and closely allied to GREEK, has become mingled
with SLAVONIC, written in GREEK characters. The native name of the
Albanian dialect is SKIPETAR. Both terms mean “mountaineers.” The
modern language is sub-divided into the GHEGH and the TOSKI. See
Hahn: “Albanische Studien,” Jena, 1854.
ALEMANNIC _or_ ALLEMANIAN.
The oldest form of TEUTONIC or HIGH-GERMAN with which we are
acquainted; it is the language attributed to the Suevi or Swabians,
who, emigrating to the S., formed with other tribes a great
confederation on the Rs. Maine, Rhine, and Danube.
⁂ See Bosworth’s “Dict. of the Anglo-Saxon Language,” ed. 1838, p.
120. W. W. S.
ALEUTIAN _or_ ALIOUT-LISEYEFF.
The dialect of the Aleutian or Fox Islands, in the N. Pacific,
between Asia and America. The inhabitants resemble the MOGHOLS
in physical peculiarities, but their language is allied to the
ESQUIMAUX. Vocab. Amer. Ethn. Trans., vol. ii., p. 130. ☞
ALFUROS.
Dialects of MALAY, spoken by uncivilized tribes of the Indian
Ocean. Adelung calls them “Harafora auch Alfurier” in the Moluccas.
“Mithridates,” i., p. 585. Wallace calls them the true indigines of
Gilolo, and the predominant type of Ceram. “Malay Archipelago,” ii.,
pp. 16, 19, 96. It is the same word as in the Arafura Seas, W. of N.
Guinea. ☞
ALGIERIAN.
A form of ARABIC vernacular in N. Africa.
ALGONKIN _or_ ALGONQUIN.
A very large class of native N. AMERICAN dialects, including the
Chippewas, Blackfoot, Ogibeway, Ottawa, Mohican, Shawnees, and other
principal eastern tribes of red Indians. Vocab. Amer. Ethn. Trans.,
vol. ii., pp. 78, 106.
ALIEH, _see_ EYISH.
ALIKHULIP.
A dialect of FUEGIAN, spoken in Terra del Fuego, S. America.
Described in Darwin’s “The Voyage of the Beagle.” _See also_
TEKEENICA _and_ TSONECA.
ALLEUTIAC, _see_ MILCOCAYAC.
ALLOPHYLIAN.
A name for the AMERICAN and certain unclassified languages; generally
used for all languages which philologists have not yet defined.
ALLOR.
A dialect of insular MALAY, vernacular in the Indian Ocean. This
island belongs to the Timor group; its inhabitants are of the dark
Papuan type. The language is said to differ but little from that of
the neighbouring island of Solor. P. J. V.
ALMEIDA.
A dialect of S. American, belonging to the TUPI or GUARINI family,
spoken in Brazil, and allied to CARIB. _See_ OMAGUA.
ALPHABET.
The English name for the collection of letters or written characters
in our language, and derived from their Greek synonyms—viz., Alpha
(A) + Beta (B), as in the line from Juvenal—
“Hoc discunt omnes ante _alpha et beta_ puellæ.”
—Sat. xiv., l. 209.
These letters or characters are the representatives of certain sounds
or utterances; and their numbers, forms, names, and equivalents
differ very materially in different countries and in different
districts. Ballhorn’s “Alphabete or. und occ. Sprachen,” Leipsig,
1853; 2nd ed., London. _See_ LETTERS.
ALPINE.
A collective name for several local dialects derived from old ITALIC,
but mingled with modern FRENCH.
ALSACIAN.
A sub-dialect of old HIGH-GERMAN.
ALTAIC _or_ URAL-ALTAIC.
Generic name for the MOGHOL, TUNGUS, TURK, SAMOYED, and UGRIAN
languages. See Castrén’s “Altaischer Volker.”
AMAKOSA.
African. _See_ KAFFIR.
AMAT.
A dialect of older DRAVIDIAN vernacular in Nepaul.
AMAZIG.
A name for the BERBER of N. Africa. It is called AQUEL AMARIGOR
AMAZIG, _i.e._ “Noble tongue;” the native dialect of Berbers.
AMAZONS.
A class of native dialects spoken by tribes along the banks of the
R. Amazon, S. America; more especially the Amazonas and Humanos,
formerly of the lower Putumayo. Wallace, p. 250.
AMBERBAKI.
A dialect of PAPUAN, vernacular in a village so named on the N. W.
coast of N. Guinea.
AMBLAU.
An island of the Amboyna group; the language, belonging to the
ALFURU, or _semi_-ALFURU, dialects of the Moluccas, seems to differ
very considerably from that of the neighbouring islands; judging from
the vocabulary given in Mr. Wallace’s “Malay Archipelago.” P. J. V.
AMBOYNA.
A dialect of the Molucca Islands, in the Indian Ocean; known as
AMBOYNESE MALAY. The provincial dialect is termed BAHASA-TANAH, the
language of the Moluccan Alfuru. See Vocabularies by Wallace and
Lüdeking. P. J. V.
AMERICAN.
A name for all dialects of the aborigines throughout N. and S.
America. Trübner’s “Bibliotheca Glottica,” London, 1858. _See_
INTRODUCTION.
AMHARIC.
The Court tongue of Abyssinia for many centuries. Amhara proper is
that district lying between the Dender and Tacazze branches of the
Nile. It closely resembles the ETHIOPIC, with alphabets that are
nearly identical. The root word is probably identical with “Ham” or
“Chem,” the poetical name for Egypt in the Psalms of David.
⁂ A SEMITIC dialect sprung from the ancient ETHIOPIC, which has
gradually become the dominant language of Abyssinia. Its vocabulary
and grammar still closely resemble the Ethiopic, but it has adopted a
barbarous pronunciation, and the gutturals, which form so important
a part of the Semitic alphabet, are no longer pronounced. The best
memoir upon it is that by Gesenius in the Encyclopædia of Ersch and
Grüber, under the heading “Amharische Sprache.” Other Abyssinian
dialects are the ADARI, the AFAR, the SOMAULI, the SAHO, the
languages of Tigré, Danakil, Adaiel, and of Harar. R. P. S.
AMOUR _or_ AMUR.
Dialects of TUNGUS, vernacular in E. Asia on the R. Amúr. See Latham,
pp. 75, 76.
AMYRGII.
An ancient Scythic people, called “Humawarga,” by the Achæmenian
Persians, and “Amyrgians” (Ἀμύργιοι) by the Greeks. They seem to have
inhabited the high plateau between the Thian-Chan and the Hindu-Kush
ranges. Most probably they were TURANIANS. G. R.
ANADEER _or_ ANADYR.
The upper and central parts of the R. Anadyr, on the north-eastern
extremity of Asia, are occupied by the Tshuktshi, an Asiatic tribe.
On the lower Anadyr, however, there is an Eskimo settlement. _See_
NAMOLLO. R. G. L.
ANAMITE _or_ ANNAMITE.
A monosyllabic tongue, closely allied to CHINESE. It is the dialect
of Tonquin and Cochin-China, extensive tracts of land in S.E. Asia.
Also called ANNAMESE. See Dictionaries, A-Latin and Latin-A, by
Taberd and Pigneaux, 2 vols., 1838; Marshman, Serampore; and Brown’s
“Comparative Table,” vol. vii., Trans. As. Soc. of Bengal.
ANDAMAN.
The dialect of the Mincopie or inhabitants of the Andaman Islands. It
is considered to be allied to the BURMESE.
ANDAQUI.
AMERICAN. Dialect of New Grenada, vernacular on the eastern slope of
the Andes, and upper part of the R. Putumayo. See “Los Indios del
Andaqui,” pp. 27-29. R. G. L.
ANDARCOS, _see_ TEXAN.
ANDI.
A dialect of LESGHIAN, allied to AKUSH; vernacular in the Caucasus.
ANDIAN _or_ ANDO-PERUVIAN.
A collective name for certain native dialects of S. America, as
AIMARA, ARAUCANIAN, QUICHUA, &c.
ANDOA.
AMERICAN. Spoken on the frontiers of New Grenada, and on the head
waters of the Rs. Tigre and Pastazza. It is bounded by the Shimigas
and Zaparu. Small vocabulary by Spruce. R. G. L.
ANDREANOWSKI ISLANDS, _see_ ALEUTIAN.
ANEITEUM _or_ ANNATOM.
A Polynesian dialect, allied to PAPUAN, vernacular in Aneiteum, the
easternmost island of the New Hebrides group, S. Pacific Ocean. The
language began to be reduced to written form, by the use of Roman
letters, by the London Missionary Society; subsequently completed in
books, now used by natives, by the “U. P. R. C.” Mission of Scotland.
W. G. ☞
ANFUE.
A native dialect, allied to ADAMPI, from the Gold-coast, W. Africa.
ANGAMI.
A dialect of ASSAMESE, vernacular in central and lower Assam.
ANGLIAN.
A name sometimes given to that dialect of the oldest ENGLISH which
was spoken in the north and east of England. It has been sub-divided
into the NORTHUMBRIAN and EAST-ANGLIAN. It has also been called
DANO-SAXON. See Bosworth’s “Dict. of the Anglo-Saxon Language,” ed.
1838, p. 21. W. W. S.
ANGLIAN, EAST, _under_ E.
ANGLO-SAXON.
A compound language formed by the union of several tribes of Teutonic
origin, who conquered and settled in Britain, about A.D. 449, thence
called England. The language is of cognate origin with the ALEMANNIC
and GOTHIC; but with accretions from the SCANDINAVIAN and LOW-DUTCH.
⁂ What is called ANGLO-SAXON is really the oldest form of ENGLISH.
The Anglo-Saxon of the first period extends from A.D. 450 to A.D.
1100; that of the later period from A.D. 1100 to about A.D. 1250;
after which date we arrive at early Middle English. The specimens
of the literature are too numerous to require mention. See the
dictionaries by Lye and Manning, Bosworth, Grein, Ettmüller, and the
list of MSS. in Hickes’s “Thesaurus,” vol. iii. W. W. S.
ANGOANE.
A dialect of MOZAMBIQUE, vernacular on the E. coast of Africa.
ANGOLA.
A dialect of BANTU, vernacular in S.E. Africa; classed by Bleek as
BUNDA.
ANGUS.
A dialect of the Lowlands of Scotland, frequently cited in Jamieson’s
Scottish Dictionary. W. W. S.
ANKARAS.
An African dialect, almost identical with WUN.
ANNAMESE, _see_ ANAMITE.
ANNATOM, _see_ ANEITEUM.
ANSOES.
A PAPUAN dialect, spoken at Port Dorey, New Guinea.
ANTES _or_ ANTIS.
A native dialect of S. American, vernacular in Peru on the eastern
slope of the Andes. The nearest affinities are to the MOXOS. See
D’Orbigny’s “L’homme Américain.”
ANTONIO, SAN.
Dialect of a mission, so called, current in California, N. America.
ANTSHUKH.
A dialect of LESGHIAN, allied to ANDI.
ANU.
Dialect of a tribe so named, in N. Arracan, in which are many words
intelligible to the people of Munipoor. A. C.
APACHE _or_ APATSH.
A dialect of ATHABASCAN, vernacular in New Mexico.
APAING.
The same language as ARORAE. W. G.
APATSH, _see_ APACHE.
APIACA.
A dialect of Brazil, allied to GUARANI, vernacular on the R. Arias,
a tributary of the Upper Tapuyos. See Castelnau’s “Expedition,” &c.,
appdx.
APINAGES.
American: a dialect of the GEZ class, vernacular in Brazil. See
Castelnau’s “Expedition,” &c., appdx.; Von Martius, vol. ii., p. 147.
APKHAZ.
The Georgian name for the tribes between Jenikale and Soukum-Kale, as
distinguished from Circassians proper.
APOLONIA.
African: a sub-dialect of FANTI, vernacular at Point Apollonia, on
the frontier of the Gold and Ivory coasts. R. G. L.
APONEGICRANS.
American: a dialect of the GEZ class, vernacular in Brazil. See Von
Martius, vol. ii., p. 147.
APPA.
A dialect of S. Africa, allied to NUFI.
AQUAPIM.
African: collective name for certain dialects of the Gold-coast near
Cape Castle; 1. The AKRA. 2. The KREPEE. 3. The OTSHI. 4. The ADAMPI.
See Rühs: “Elemente des Akwapim.”
AQUITANIAN.
The dialect of Aquitania or Aquitaine, a division of ancient Gaul,
lying S.W., which included the provinces of Guyenne, Gascony, &c.
ARA.
A name for the ARINI.
ARABIC.
One of the three main branches of the SEMITIC family, spoken in the
peninsula of Arabia. Unknown till the century before Mahomet, it
suddenly then reached its highest perfection in the poems of the
Moallakât. It is the richest, the most flexible, and most exact
of all the Semitic tongues, and its grammar the most subtle and
perfect, probably, of all known languages. The dialect of the tribe
of Koreisch, adopted by Mahomet in the Koran, has been, since the
seventh century, the classical language of large parts of Asia and
Africa, and has greatly influenced the Turkish, Maltese, Persian,
Hindi, and other tongues, owing to the wide range of Arabian
conquest. Classical Arabic must be distinguished from Arabic as
actually spoken. The “vulgar” Arabic makes scarcely any distinction
of vowel-sounds, has a grammar simple to rudeness, and is destitute
of the richness and versatility of the tongue as employed by its most
famous scholars. R. P. S.
ARAGO.
A dialect of PAPUAN, vernacular in New Guinea.
ARAIACU.
American: a dialect of N. Brazil, to the W. of Fonteboa; it is allied
to the BARRÉ, BANIWA, MANOA, &c. See Von Martius, vol. ii., p. 133,
who places it in his CREN or GUERENO class. R. G. L.
ARAKANESE _or_ ARRACANESE.
A monosyllabic tongue closely allied to the BURMESE, otherwise called
the RECCAN or RUKHENG. The district in which it is spoken forms a
narrow strip of sea-coast, about 500 miles long, extending from
Cape Negrais in the S. towards Chittagong in the N., along the E.
peninsula of S. Asia.
ARAMAIC.
Generic name of the languages spoken in the region extending from the
Taurus and Lebanon to the R. Tigris. It is one of the main branches
of the SEMITIC stem, and is itself divided into two dialects, EAST
ARAMAIC, or CHALDEAN, and WEST ARAMAIC, or Syriac. The former became
the medium of Jewish thought, and is the language of the Targums
and the Talmud, and also of the Samaritan Pentateuch. The latter is
Christian. A sub-dialect spoken by the heathen is called SABAEAN, or
NABATHEAN. The oldest remains of the Aramaic are found in the name
given by Laban to the Hill of Witness between him and Jacob. R. P. S.
The Aramaic alphabet was identical with, or derived from, the
PHŒNICIAN.
ARAPAHO _or_ ARRAPAHO.
The dialect of a native tribe of N. American Indians of the ALGONKIN
family, vernacular on the R. Platte; originally on the Upper
Saskatshewan. Schoolcraft’s “Indian Tribes,” vol. iii., p. 446;
Vocab. Amer. Ethn. Trans., vol. ii., p. 96.
ARAQUAJU.
American: a dialect of the BRAZILIAN class, vernacular on the Upper
Amazons. See Von Martius, vol. ii., p. 17.
ARAUCANIAN.
Dialect spoken by the powerful independent Indian tribe inhabiting
the western slope of the Andes, south of Chili proper. D. F.
ARAWACK.
A dialect of CARIB, spoken on the N. coast of S. America, in
Surinam, Venezuela, and the Guianas (Berbice); supposed to have been
introduced by aboriginal settlers from Hayti and other W. Indian
islands.
ARAYAS, _see_ TAINO.
ARCHAIC GREEK.
A name for the original CADMEAN alphabet of ancient Greece, it
consisted of seventeen letters only, and was derived from the
PHŒNICIAN.
ARDA.
Spoken, according to Alcedo, on the Upper Napo, on the boundaries of
New Grenada, Brazil, and Ecuador. A “Doctrina Christiana,” Madrid,
1658, and a “Paternoster” are the only recorded specimens of the
ARDA. No philologist seems to have examined them. The fragmentary
languages with which they are the most likely to have been allied are
the ANDOA, the SHIMIGAES, and the ZAPARA. “Ludwig,” p. 12. R. G. L.
ARDRAH.
AFRICAN: a dialect of the Slave-coast.
ARGOT.
French _patois_, applied to cant and slang dialects. See Jülg’s
“Vater,” pp. 132, 485.
ARGUBBA.
AFRICAN: a dialect of Abyssinia.
ARECUNA.
A dialect of the CARIB of Demerara, allied to MACUSI. See
Schomburgk’s “British Guiana.”
ARFAK.
A PAPUAN dialect vernacular among the mountaineers inland of Doreh,
New Guinea. P. J. V.
ARINI _or_ ARINZI.
A dialect of YENISEIAN, spoken in Siberia. See Castrén’s “Versuch
einer Ienissei Ostiakinen Sprachlehre.” H. H. H.
ARIPE.
AMERICAN: dialect of Lower California.
ARIS.
A dialect of TOUMBULU.
ARKIKO.
A dialect of ETHIOPIC allied to Adaiel; otherwise classed as a
sub-dialect of AMHARIC.
ARMENIAN.
The vernacular speech of Armenia, a mountainous country of Asiatic
Turkey, bordering on the S.E. extremity of the Black Sea, including
Mt. Ararat. Armenian is written from left to right, and has an
alphabet peculiar to itself, which has been modernized from an older
original, attributed to Miesrob, A.D. 406.
⁂ The language is essentially an ARYAN dialect, akin to ACHÆMENIAN
PERSIAN and ZEND, but still distinct from either: into which have
been absorbed a large number of TURANIAN roots. G. R.
ARMENIC.
A branch of the great Indo-European family of speech not yet clearly
defined. It is the parent of modern ARMENIAN, and of an older form
of the same language, called OLD ARMENIC, now extinct. It has,
provisionally, been classed with KURDISH, OSSETIC and PUSHTOO. _See_
ARYAN.
ARMENO-KURDISH.
A name for the KURDISH dialect, written in the characters of the
Armenian alphabet.
ARMORICAN.
A Celtic dialect, called also BRETON, anciently vernacular in
Armorican Gaul; it was the national language of the independent Duchy
of Brittany, and is still spoken in the modern French departments
of Finisterre, Morbihan, and Côtes-du-Nord; the language is closely
allied to WELSH, CORNISH, MANX, GAELIC, &c.
ARNAUT, _see_ ALBANIAN.
ARNIYA.
A dialect of DARDU, allied to Kashkari.
ARO _or_ ORO.
A dialect of W. Africa, allied to MBOFIA, vernacular in the locality
of Brass Town.
AROO _or_ ARRU.
Dialects of PAPUAN, vernacular in a group of islands lying to the
S.W. of New Guinea, in the Asiatic Archipelago.
⁂ Herr Van Rosenberg distinguishes two chief dialects. 1. A
vocabulary collected at Wammer, Watelei, and Traugan. 2. His
“Wanumbae Vocaby.” Others are the Wokam Uju dialects, given by Herr
Von Eybergen. Mr. Wallace writes WAMMA, WOKAN and OUGIA. P. J. V.
AROPIN.
A PAPUAN dialect, vernacular in S. Pacific. See Latham, p. 332.
ARORAE.
An island of Kingsmill group, S. Pacific. The language is a mixed
dialect of Samoa and Sandwich groups. First reduced by missionaries
from Hawaii, 1858; now occupied by Samoan Christian teachers. W. G.
ARROW-HEAD.
A term employed to designate writing of a particular kind. The
ancient inhabitants of Babylonia, Assyria, Armenia, Persia, and
other adjacent regions used characters of which the ultimate element
was the wedge: ► The resemblance of this form to the metallic point
with which arrows were anciently tipped caused our early Oriental
travellers to call all characters thus composed “arrow-headed.”
Recently, the term “cuneiform,” adopted from the French, has
displaced “arrow-headed,” which is now seldom used. It is important
to remember that the two terms, whichever of them we employ, in no
case properly designate a language, or an alphabet, but simply a
manner of forming the conventional signs of speech. There are at
least five quite distinct “arrow-headed” alphabets; and in one case
the same cuneiform alphabet is used to give written expression to two
quite different languages. G. R.
ARYAN.
A name for the INDO-EUROPEAN family of languages, derived from
Ariana, a province of the ancient Persian empire. The word is widely
diffused throughout Eastern Asia: _ex. gr._, the small river Arius,
now Heri-Rúd, on which stands the city of Herat; also the river Arus,
or Araxes, near Mt. Ararat, in Armenia; Iran, Irac, or Iron. The term
“Aryan,” in Sanskrit, implies “noble,” but the root is very widely
diffused in an agricultural sense; as in the Greek ἀρόω; Latin, “aro”
“to plough;” English, “arable.”
The Aryan family of languages is divided into the following
branches:—ARMENIC, CELTIC or KELTIC, HELLENIC, ILLYRIC, INDIC,
IRANIC, ITALIC, TEUTONIC, and WENDIC (or SLAVONIC-LETTIC). Each of
these groups or branches will be treated under its proper stem, with
sub-branches. _See_ INTRODUCTION. ☞
ASHANTEE _or_ ASHANTI.
Sometimes called ODJII or OTSHI, the national language of the Guinea
coast, W. Africa; it belongs to the MANDINGO branch, and is closely
allied to the FANTEE, spoken on the Gold-coast.
ASIAN _or_ ASIATIC.
Klaproth’s “Asia Polyglotta,” Paris, 1823, 1832. _See_ INTRODUCTION.
ASILULU, _see_ AMBOYNA.
ASSAMESE.
The modern language of Assam, an extensive province of British India
adjoining Bengal; it extends along the course of the R. Brahmapootra,
towards Thibet. The archaic dialect known as AHOM, being extinct,
has been superseded by a dialect of BENGALI; Assamese is, however,
unintelligible to the natives of Bengal. It is written in the Bengali
character. See Brown’s “Comparative Table of Dialects: Asiatic
Society of Bengal.”
ASSAN.
A dialect of OSTIAK, or YENISEIAN, vernacular in Siberia. See
Castrén’s “Versuch.”
ASSINEBOINE.
A N. American dialect, spoken by native tribes of the Saskatchewan
River line, between the Red River and Rocky Mountains.
ASSINESE.
African: a sub-dialect of the FANTI.
ASSYRIAN.
The language of the ancient Assyrians, or people of Assyria, a
tract lying upon the R. Tigris, between the thirty-fourth and
thirty-seventh parallels. This language has become known to us
within the last twenty years, through inscriptions disinterred from
the buried cities of this region. The form of speech is found to be
SEMITIC, akin to Arabic, Syriac, Chaldee, Phœnician, and especially
to Hebrew. It is written, however, unlike most Semitic tongues, from
left to right. The characters are very numerous and complicated;
they are of the class called “cuneiform” or “arrow-headed,” being
formed out of combinations of wedges. The best account of the
Assyrian alphabet will be found in the “Expédition Scientifique
en Mésapotamie” of M. Oppert. The language must be studied in the
“Assyrian Dictionary” of Mr. Norris, and the “Elémens de la Grammaire
Assyrienne” of M. Oppert. G. R.
ASTEK, _see_ AZTEC.
ASWAREK, _see_ SERAWULLI.
ATACAMA.
AMERICAN: belongs to a desert land between Chili and Peru.
ATAFU.
“DUKE OF YORK’S ISLAND.” In Tokelau group; when found it had a
mixture of Eastern Polynesian dialects; but now, by use of SAMOAN
books, generally speak that language. W. G.
ATHABASCAN or ATHAPASCAN.
A collective name for certain native dialects of N. America, lying to
the S. of the Esquimaux. Vocaby. American Ethn. Trans., vol. ii. pp.
78-105. Buschmann: “Der Athapaskische Sprachstamm,” Berlin, 1856-63. ☞
ATIAGO, _see_ AHTIAGO.
ATINAN.
Largely TAHITIAN, with some local peculiarities, but by the use
of books in the Rarotongan dialect, is fast becoming RAROTONGAN;
example, “fenua-maitai” = “good land.” W. G.
ATLAS (Mount.)
The Mount Atlas languages, more or less known, are: 1. The KABAIL or
SHOWIAH; more definitely the ZOAVE. 2. The SHILHA or Morocco BERBER.
3. The TOUARIK or TAMAZIGHT of the Great Desert. 4. The GHADAMSI or
the WADREAGH. F. W. N.
ATNA.
A name for SELISH. It is derived from the native word for
“man”—“tinni” or “tnai.” Vocaby. Trans. Amer. Ethnol. Society, vol.
ii., p. 118. ☞
ATORAI.
A dialect of CARIB, vernacular in Demerara.
ATSHIN.
A dialect of MALAY, vernacular in Sumatra. _See_ ACHINESE.
ATTAKAPA.
A nearly monosyllabic dialect, vernacular among the native Americans
of St. Bernard’s Bay, Texas. See Archæol. Americana, ii., p. 307. ☞
ATTIC GREEK.
A dialect of ancient GREEK, originally peculiar to Attica, but which
became the parent of the so-called “common dialect,” or ordinary
language of Greek literature. The ATTIC had much in common with the
IONIC, but affected contractions and retained aspirates where the
Ionic discarded them. G. R.
ATTIGAE.
A tribe of the Chech in Caucasia. H. C.
ATURES.
According to Humboldt, the Atures were the original occupants of the
cataract on the R. Orinoco, which bears their name; their language,
on the authority of Gilij, is a form of the SALIVI. ☞
ATYE, _see_ WHIDAH.
AUGSBURG.
Germanic: dialect of HIGH-GERMAN spoken in Bavaria. See “Jnl. Für
Deutschland,” 1783.
AURAMOISET.
A dialect of KARELIAN, vernacular in the Government of St.
Petersburgh. See “Memoirs of the St. Petersburgh Academy.”
AUSTRAL.
A group of numerous islands east of Tahiti, and so far TAHITIAN as
to use books in the Tahitian language, though having some local
peculiarities by the introduction of letters not in Tahitian;
example, “param-akoako” = “exhortation.” W. G.
AUSTRALIAN.
The natives, now fast disappearing, had numerous dialects, all more
or less closely allied; resemblances have been traced to the TAMUL
and other languages of S. India; the POLYNESIAN, and PAPUAN. See
Grey’s “Vocabulary” (of S. Western A.) 2nd Edit., London, 1841; and
others by Ridley; Sidney, 1856, 1866: Eyre’s “Discoveries,” vol. ii.,
p. 391.
AUVERGNE.
Dialect of Provençal; glossaries in “Mem.: Soc. Ant.” French vols.
ii., xii.
AVAN _or_ AVANI.
American: a sub-dialect of MAIPUR.
AVAR (1).
An extinct dialect, belonging to the fifth and sixth centuries A.D.
It was Turkish.
AVAR (2).
The most important dialect of LESGIAN. See Vocabulary in
Güldenstadt’s “Travels,” and “Asia Polyglotta.”
AVARICOTO.
AMERICAN: Carib of Cumana, belonging to the Tamanack division.
AVEKVOM.
A dialect of the Ivory-coast, W. Africa.
AWAIYA.
A dialect of MALAY, vernacular in Ceram, an island of the Indian
Ocean; quoted in Wallace’s “Malay Archipelago.” _See_ AHTIAGO _and_
HAWAIIAN.
AYMARA.
The language of the Indians of the highlands around Lake Titicaca in
Peru and Bolivia; by many regarded as the so-called secret language
of the Incas, as, according to their traditions, Manco Capac, the
founder of the Inca dynasty, came from that district; and although
ruder and more primitive, it is closely allied to the QUECHUA,
which, after the Inca conquest, became the general language of Peru.
The oldest published works extant on Aymara are by Alcabiça, 1585;
Ricardo, 1585; Bertonio, 1603-12. D. F. ☞
AZTEC.
The language of the aborigines of Mexico; extinct in its original
form, it has been fused with SPANISH, and is now the native language
of Mexican Indians.
ADDENDA.
ABERDEEN.
A local dialect of Scotland.
ABKHASS, _see_ ABSNE.
ABUNDA.
AFRICAN: same as BUNDA. See Vocaby. in Douville’s “Voyage,” Paris,
1832.
ACHAIAN.
A name for the ancient Greeks. ☞
ADAMAWA, _see_ HAMARUA.
ADANG.
A DAYAK dialect of N. Borneo. P. J. V. _See_ MURUT.
ADIMA.
Name for the servile class of Malabar; they have a dialect peculiar
to themselves. W. E.
ADIYAR.
A sub-dialect of DRAVIDIAN origin, spoken by aborigines of Malabar.
W. E.
AKHWASH.
CAUCASIAN: like ANDI, but with peculiar numerals. H. C.
AMERICANISMS.
Name for Transatlantic idioms of ENGLISH. See Webster’s Dicty.,
various editions: Bartlett’s Glossary, London, 1859.
AMOY.
An important dialect of CHINESE; see “Manual,” by Macgowan; Hong
Khong, 1869.
ANDALUSIAN.
Romance: a sub-dialect of SPANISH.
ANDHRA.
An ancient kingdom and powerful dynasty in the Dekhan, now merely
traditional: compare the Greek word ἀνδρος.
ANSPACH.
TEUTONIC: dialect of HIGH-GERMAN. See “Jnl. Für Deutschland,” 1789.
ANTILLES.
AMERICAN of the W. Indies. See “Histoire des Iles Antilles,” &c.
Rotterdam, 1681.
APPENZELL.