Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/197

 SECT. VI.] INDIAN LANGUAGES. 161 civilized nations ; and that, as between hunters and hunters there are rarely any objects of exchange, numerals cannot in America have been borrowed by one tribe from another. The pronouns of the first and second person belong also in the Indian languages to the class of primitive words. No definitive opinion can, for want of sufficient materials, be formed with respect to prepositions. An apprehension of being deceived by false etymologies, or accidental coincidences, has perhaps led into a contrary error. The only case where any language has been placed as belong- ing to a certain family, without conclusive proof, is that of the Minetares. But there are several, and particularly the Choctaw and Muskhogee, which have been set down as forming distinct families, that will probably be found, on further investigation, to belong to the same. Some of the vocabularies are not sufficiently copious ; in many instances, affinities will be dis- covered through the medium of kindred dialects ; and, in order to have a full view of the subject, we should have not only a small collection of primitive words, but dictionaries in- cluding derivatives. Thus, for instance, the numeral, one, in Choctaw is, achufa, and, in Muskhogee, humma, between which there is not the slightest affinity. Yet it is revealed by the Choctaw word for once, which is himmunna. It is therefore highly probable, that the number of distinct families of Indian languages will be found to be less than has been here stated ; though, at the same time, that of subordinate dialects is un- doubtedly greater. The diversity which does actually exist proves only, that the separation of some of the Indian nations took place in very early times ; and the difficulty of accounting for it is not greater here than on the other continent. We find there, in one quarter, the Sanscrit and the Chinese in juxtaposition, and, in another, the Basque surrounded by languages of Latin origin. The same cause, which produced that effect, may, under different circumstances, have given rise to ten, instead of two totally distinct languages. In point of fact, the number dees not appear to be greater in North America than in Africa, in the northeastern parts of Asia, or in the Oceanic region. The varieties of languages and of dialects must be more num- erous amongst uncivilized tribes, principally those in the hunter state, necessarily subdivided into small communities, than in populous nations united under one government. Public speaking VOL. II. 21