Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/451

 Rh mind these differences of dialect, and varieties of pronunciation, which necessarily belong to any widely-spread unwritten language, and making due allowance for those local terms which must be introduced into different districts, as applicable to peculiarities of situation, soil, climate, occupation, food, and natural products, I have no hesitation in affirming, that as far as any tribes have been met and conversed with by the colonists, namely, from one hundred miles east of King George's Sound up to two hundred miles north of Fremantle, comprising a space of above six hundred miles of coast, the language is radically and essentially the same. And there is much reason to suppose that this remark would not be confined to those limits only, but might be applied, in a great degree, to the pure and uncorrupted language of the whole island. Many of the words and phrases of the language on the eastern and southern sides of Australia, as given in 's work, in 's Grammar, and in several short vocabularies, are identical with those used on the western side. And in a list of words given in ' Voyage, as used by the natives on the north-east coast at Endeavour River, the term for the eye is precisely the same as that at Swan River. Whilst this publication was in the press, the work of Captain appeared; in the course of which he has treated of this subject at considerable length, and adduced several arguments confirmatory of the same opinion.

Nothing is said here about the grammar of the language, because it is doubtful if the rules by which it is governed are even yet sufficiently known to be laid down with confidence–if, indeed, there are any so far established amongst themselves as to be considered inflexible. None are likely to bestow much attention upon the language except those who have an interest in communicating