The times., 1898-11-20

so hampered the early traders that a
common language. a Volapuk, was start
ed. And this common lingo is now almost
a complete language. and is spoken by
natives all over that huge country which
used to be known as Oregon, and is call
ed the Chinook Jargon.'' or Oregon
Trade Language
This jargon was not made to order and
taught in the schools, but gradually grew
up as necessities arose, until now at
length it has arrived at the dignity of
having dictionary printed all TO itself.
and out of its precocity 1t has produced
a framework which may some day arrive
at the dignity of grammar. The course
of its growth is interesting.
Nootka Sound, on the west coast of
Vancouver Island, was the haven to
which most ships trading to this coast
laid their courses, and here the jargon
was Graded. And we find. as might be
expected, that many of its most useful
words are culled from the tribe that
dwelt in that wild and wet district-such
as kloshe, good" hyas and tenas,
large" and small" kumtuks. Ito under
stand; mahkook, Ito trade" and wawa,
''to talk''-these being just the kind of
words that would be wanted at first. By
degrees other words-words that had a
character of their own-from other
tribes We're added.
Perhaps it would be fairer to say that
the words added from time to time were
such as could be pronounced by Euro
peans. The Indian languages are un-
couth and unpronOunceable to any one
except perhaps, a Welshman. The names
of many articles of European make which
came in the way of trade, and for
which there could clearly be no native
word, We're adopted either whole or in
such form as to tit the curves of a native
mouth Bed" and boat" were easy.
but cold becomes cole, dry dly: and
that very difficult word, handkerchief y
the gaudy red or yellow one so much
priced by the dusky beauties. had to get
itself understood as hakatshum, a name
not altogether unlike that applied to the
same article by Europeans of tender age.
The historical date of the origin of the
language is shown by the word for
"EnglishmsM kintshautsh man, which,
being done into English. is king George
man." and distinguishes us from cur
Yankee cousin, who, whether he hailed
his vast territory, is always known as a
Boston man."
Meanwhile another element crept in.
Across the great prairies of Manitoba and
Northwest, over the peaks and through
the gorges of the Rockies, came the
trapper of the Hudson Bay
Company, the French-Canadian voy-
ageur, a man accustomed to deal with
Indians; and his individuality is strongly
impressed into the jargon, which adopted
his words with the article attached.
Thus under the letter IL in the Chinook
vocabulary we find that nearly all the
words are French; Lassiet, "a plate;'' Ia
shase. chair" lemahto, hammer" le-
piet Qe petre), priest" Callpeen, "a ri
fie'' and Siwash, Indian are from the
French carabine and savage. The imita-
tion of sounds, almost an Indians chief
instinct, has produced a number of words
-tintin, "a bell;'' tiktk, "a watch and,
most curious of all, tumtum the heart
mot that part of the human anatomy
subject to periodical pains during child
hood. which it might be expected to
mean. The word has also come to mean
to think or to wish: Mica tumtum chako
hyu snass-"It is my heart q think) that
big rain is coming
The origin of many of the words is un-
known. and these were probably the re-
suit of some passing event. but many
grew from very strange causes. Pei
ton means "a fool" and is also an ad-