D.
Dabantshi.
African: dialect of the district of Hamarua and Adamawa; Barth’s Collection; Gotha, 1862-6. See [Batta].
Dacian or Daco-Wallachian, see under W.
Dacotah.
American: chief dialect of the Sioux; Pond: “Dakota Reading-book,” Boston, 1842. See [Sioux].
Dagamba or Dagwumba.
African: dialect of the Kouri. See [Ingwa].
Dahi or Darahi.
Indic: a dialect of Nepaul allied to Kuswar; it is also called Denwar.
Dahomy.
African: a large group of languages vernacular on the Guinea Coast. McLeod’s “Voyage,” London, 1820. See [Widah].
Dairi.
The dialect of Western Battas, in Sumatra. P. J. V.
Dajak or Dyak.
The native dialect of Borneo, a large island in the Indian Archipelago: spoken by Polynesian aborigines as distinct from Malay. Keppel: “Expedition,” London, 1846; Hardeland’s Dicty., Dajacksch-Deutsches, Amsterdam, 1859.
Dakhani or Dukhani.
Indic: a dialect of Hindostani vernacular among the Mohammedans of the Madras Presidency, in the Deccan or S. Peninsula of India.
Dalecarlian.
Sub-dialect of Swedish; see Arborelius Conspectus: “Lexici,” Upsala, 1813; “Grammatices,” 1818; Ihre’s “Swenskt Dialect-Lexicon,” Upsala, 1766. W. W. S.
Dalla.
African: a negro dialect spoken on the Abyssinian frontier. See [Shangalla].
Dalmatian.
Slavonic: a sub-dialect of Servian. See Frölich “Der Kleine Illirier,” Vienna, 1840.
Dalrymple, Port.
Tasmanian; native dialect of district so-called.
Damantshi.
African; assigned by Barth to a district of Hamarna.
Dammara.
African: sub-dialect of Hottentot.
Damot.
African: sub-dialect of Agaw.
Damulic.
Dravidian: same word as Tamulic.
Danish.
Teutonic: a language of the Scandinavian branch. It is the vernacular tongue of modern Denmark and its dependencies, and closely allied to Swedish and Norwegian. See the Dictionaries by Molbech, Copenhagen, 1841-59; Ferrall and Repp, 1861; and the Society’s great “Danske Ordbog,” in 8 or 9 vols., still unfinished.
Dankali (pl. Danakil).
A sub-dialect or division of Galla, spoken by the Danakil or Afers, an intrusive tribe located between the Red Sea and Abyssinia; the word “Afer” has been plausibly referred to as containing the lost root of the word “Africa;” most probably a variant of Kaffir; and “Dana,” taken speculatively, may be connected with the Greek legend of the alleged Danaan migration from Egypt, in pre-historic times. See Isenberg: “Vocabulary,” London, 1840.
Dano-Saxon, see [Anglian].
Darahi, see [Dahi].
Dard or Dardu.
A group of languages vernacular in Caubul, more especially on the mountainous tracts of the Paropamisan range; known also as Shina. Vocaby., &c., by Leitner. ☞
Darfur.
African; König: “Vocabulaire,” Paris, 1839; Perron: “Sheikh Mohammed’s Voyage,” Paris, 1845. See [Furian].
Darien.
American: spoken by aborigines in the Isthmus, so-called. ☞
Darling.
Australian: dialect of Yak-Kumban. See Eyre’s “Journals,” London, 1845.
Dar-Mitchegua, see [Dizzela].
Darnley (1).
Australian: native dialect of an island so named.
Darnley (2), see [Erroob] and [Maer].
Dar-Runga.
African: allied to Mobba. Browne’s “Travels,” London, 1799.
Darsaleh Wady or Bergu.
Large district of Central Africa between Bornu and Darfur. The following languages are said to be spoken in it:—(1) Abue Gedam; (2) Ain Gamara; (3) Bili; (4) Bilting; (5) Girri; (6) Kajanga; (7) Kawak; (8) Kelingen; (9) Kodoyi; (10) Koromboy; (11) Kumo; (12) Madaba; (13) Madala; (14) Malanga; (15) Ogodongda; (16) Sheferi. Of these the Mobba is the only one known by printed specimens. The unpublished papers of Dr. Barth contain much new material for the investigation of this large and obscure region. R. G. L.
Dasen.
Papuan; dialect of the district about Port Doreh, New Guinea.
Dauphignese.
Patois of Old French: a sub-dialect of Provençal, formerly vernacular in the Dauphiné, S. France. See “Essai” by Jules, Paris, 1840.
Daura.
African: sub-dialect of Haussa.
Daurai.
American: Carib of Demerara; closely allied to Atoria.
Dautgart.
Australian: native dialect of W. Colack.
Deer.
Indian: a dialect of Swauti, closely allied to Shina. See “Jnl. A. S. of Bengal,” 1838.
Degombah, see [Dagamba].
Dehwar, see [Dahi].
Delagoa Bay, see [Lagoa] and [Tekeza].
Delaware.
American: a dialect of Algonkin spoken by the true Beaver Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape race, originally located in the State of Delaware, but now removed to the frontier. The modern tribes are said to represent those with whom William Penn first treated in 1682. Pickering: “Vocabulary,” Boston, U. S., 1823. See [Lenni-Lennape].
Delgado, Cape.
African: dialect of the Mozambique.
Dembea.
Semitic: sub-dialect of Amharic.
Demotic. (“Of the people.”)
A name for the most cursive writing of ancient Egypt; also called Enchorial.
⁂ It is written invariably from right to left, and has been derived from the primitive hieroglyphic. The earliest known employment of it was in the 7th century before Christ. See Brugsch: “Grammaire Démotique,” Berlin, 1855. G. R.
Denka (1).
Turanian; a name for the Odh or Sable Ostiaks.
Denka (2).
African: called also Dinka; it is spoken in Kordofan, and is allied to Shilluk. See vocabulary in Rüppel: “Reise in Abyssinien,” 2 vols., Frankfort, 1838-40.
Denwar.
Indic: very much like Dahi. H. C.
Deoria-Chutia, under [C].
De-Peyster, see [Fakaofo].
Derbyshire.
A provincial dialect of England; see “Glossaries,” by Mawe, 1802; Mander, 1821; also “The Reliquary,” ed. by Ll. Jewitt, F.S.A., a periodical. W. W. S.
Deri.
Persic: a sub-dialect of the Parsi, the descendant of the ancient Persian language, spoken in Persia from about A.D. 800. G. R.
Desya.
Dravidian: a term for provincial Malayalim.
Deutsch, see [German].
Devonshire.
A provincial dialect of England: Dialogues and Glossaries by Palmer, 1837; Phillips and Gwatkin, 1839.
Dewalla, see [Dualla].
Dewanagari, see [Divanagari].
Dewa-ntshi.
African: assigned by Barth to Hamarua.
Dewoi.
African: a dialect spoken in Dahomey, and allied to Bassa, Grebo, Kru. &c. H. C.
Dey.
African: a sub-dialect of Grebo, formerly spoken at Cape Mesurado, on the W. Coast.
Dhamuk.
A sub-dialect of Turanian, spoken by a broken tribe of the Himalayas.
Dhangur.
A dialect of the Kol language. The Dhangres of Chota-Nagpoor are the principal emigrants (as Coolies) to Mauritius and the W. Indies. A. C.
Dhenwas, see [Dahi].
Dhimal.
The same language as the Mech; the Dhimals, like the former, live and thrive in the malarious tracts of Nipal, along the base of the Himalaya. A. C.
Dialect.
The division of a language. Term used for the local variation of a language that is habitually used by, or usually intelligible among, the speakers (applied to provinces or large districts).
Dialect, Sub.
A further division of dialects (applied to townships or small tribes).
Dibon, see [Moab].
Dido.
Lesgian, same as Unso. ☞
Diebes-Sprache.
German term for “cant or slang speech”; also called Gauner-Sprache; See Jülg’s “Vater,” pp. 310-12.
Diebs Is.
German name for the Ladrones. See [Chamori].
Dieguno.
American: language of the mission of S. Diego, vernacular in California. ☞
Diepholz.
Sub-dialect of Low-German, vernacular in Westphalia. See Müller: “Westphälisches Idiotikon,” Churlande, 1794.
Dikele.
African: classed by Bleek in the N. W. branch of Bantu.
Dimal.
Same as Dhimal. See [Mech].
Dinka.
African: same as Denka. See Mitterrutzner’s “Die Dinka-Sprache,” Brixen, 1866-7.
Dioscurian.
A name for the various languages vernacular in the Caucasus; used collectively.
⁂ The word is derived from Dioscurias, a Greek colony on the coast of Mingrelia. G. R.
Dippil.
A native dialect of the Australian aborigines. Vocaby. by Ridley, Sydney, 1866.
Divanagari.
A name for the alphabet adopted in Sanskrit, and transferred to Hindostani and many sub-dialects; the word is compounded of “Diva,” “God,” “nagara,” “a city,” i.e., “the sacred city”; scil. Benares. It is apparently derived from the Cufic, and quite distinct from old Sanskrit, a name for Bactrian or Zend.
Divihet.
American: same as Puelche.
Dizzela.
African: spoken on the frontiers of Abyssinia; also called Dar-Mitchegua. It belongs to the Agaw group. Salt’s “Voyage,” London, 1814. See [Shangalla].
Djabu.
African: name for Eyo or Aku.
Djebaly.
African: same as Kabyle.
Djoe-Tong, see [Saramacca].
Doba.
A Negro dialect of Abyssinia. See [Shangalla].
Dodi.
African: a dialect of Bornu, allied to Bode and Ngodzen.
Dofla.
A dialect of Assamese, allied to Abor.
Dog-rib.
American: a dialect of Athabascan, allied to Slave.
Dogura or Dogra.
Indic: a dialect of Sanskrit, otherwise called Jumboo or Mountain Punjabi, spoken in the Punjaub, N. W. India.
Doing-nuk or Nak.
Monosyllabic: a sub-dialect of Arakanese.
Dolganen.
Tatar: the most westerly dialect of the Yakut spoken between the Yenisey and the Chatunga by three small tribes: 1, the Dongot; 2, the Adgan; 3, the Dolgan. The Samoeids call them “younger brothers,” Dolgan being the Russian term. Latham’s “Nationalities,” vol. i., p. 262, London, 1863.
Dolkhali.
A dialect of Older Dravidian, vernacular in Nepal.
Domantshi.
African: the same as Damantshi and Dumantshi.
Dongolawy.
African: dialect of the Nubian Group, spoken on the Nile in 12° N.L. R. G. L.
Dor.
African: spoken on the Nile, about 3° N.L. See vocabulary by Petherick: “Egypt, the Soudan, &c.,” 8vo, 1861.
Dorbot or Durbet.
A dialect of Moghol.
Doreh or Dorey, Port.
Papuan: dialects of N. Coast of New Guinea; Wallace: “Malay Archip.”
Doric or Dorian.
Hellenic: a dialect of Ancient Greek, spoken in Laconia, Argolis, Corinth, Crete, Rhodes, and several cities of Asia Minor, known to us both through books and inscriptions. It is of a broader character than common Greek. See Portus: “Dict. Doricum,” &c., 1603. G. R.
Dorpat.
Sub-dialect of Esthonian, vernacular at Dorpat in Esthonia, a Russian province on the Baltic. It belongs to the Turanian family of languages, and closely resembles Finnish. Masing: “Vorschläge,” 8vo, Dorpat, 1820; Faehlmann, “Versuch,” Dorpat, 1842.
Dorsetshire.
A provincial dialect of English. See Barnes: “Poems in Dorset Dialect,” 3 vols., 1847-62; also Grammar and Glossary in “Trans. of Phil. Society,” 1863. W. W. S.
Dravidian, Dravirian, or Tamulic.
A family of languages, agglutinative in character, vernacular in the S. Peninsula of British India, and classed as Sub-Turanian. It includes Canarese, Malayalim, Tamil, Telugu, and Tulu. The term is derived from “Dravira,” a Sanskrit name for the Coromandel Coast. It is also called Nishada. See Caldwell: “Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages,” 8vo, 1861. ☞
Drewin.
African: a dialect of Grebo, allied to Bassa, spoken at Cape Palmas, Ivory-Coast, Guinea, W. Africa.
Dsuku.
African: allied to Nufi.
Dualla.
African: spoken at Fernando Po, W. Coast; classed by Bleek as Bantu. It is also spelled Dewalla.
Duaura, see [Baladea].
Dugorian.
A sub-dialect of Ossetinian.
Dumagat.
A dialect of Negrito; vernacular in the Philippine Islands.
Duman.
A Gipsey dialect of Persia. See Latham’s “Elements,” &c., London, 1862, p. 248.
Dumantshi.
African: dialect of Hamarua. A form of Damantshi. See [Domantshi].
Durbet, see [Dorbot].
Durham.
A provincial dialect of English. See Glossary in “Surtees’ Society Publications,” 1837. See [Teesdale].
Dutch.
The modern typical language of Low-German, called Nieder- or Platt-Deutsch; it is the name formerly given to High-Dutch or German and Low-Dutch or Flemish, but now narrowed to the Netherlandish of Holland. It includes the dialects of Holland or Low-Dutch, and of Flanders, or Flemish, with their sub-dialects, and is allied to Platt-Deutsch, being one of the great classes of the Teutonic. The Dutch of Holland has a copious literature, and is spoken in Holland, parts of the West Indies, South Africa, and Australasia or Netherland-India. Provincial dialects are numerous. See Jülg’s “Vater,” pp. 93-98; De Vries and Te Winkel “Woordenboek,” 1864-70, still unfinished; Hermansz’s “Aenleiding,” Amsterdam, 1723; Tuinman’s “Fakkel,” Leyden, 1722-31. H. C.
Dwama.
African: dialect of the Mana.
Dyak, see [Dajak].
Dzekire.
African: dialect of the Yoruba.
Dzelana.
African: classed as Kouri, but allied to Mose, Guresa, and Gurma. H. C.
Dzhellaba.
African: dialect of Bornu.
Dzukaghir, or Jugaghir.
Ugrian: a sub-dialect of Fin.
ADDENDA.
Daco-Roman, see [Wallachian].
Dakota, see [Dacotah].
Danger Is.
Polynesian: language of the S. Pacific; a mixed dialect of Samoan and Tahitian. W. G.
Date.
African: a dialect of Akwapim. H. C.
Dauria.
Alatyan: a class of Tungus. H. C.
Dayak.
Correct form: the word is not “Dyak,” and “Dajak” is only a foreigner’s form of “Dayak.” H. C.
Dembo.
African: a branch of Shilluk. H. C.
Derbendian.
Sub-dialect of Turkish, spoken by certain tribes near the centre of the Caucasus. G. R.
Devanagari, Dewanagari, see under [Di].
Dhangar.
Hindi: applied generally to the people of hill tracts, who come to the plains and engage as labourers; they are also shepherds, and closely allied to the Kurubars of S. India. They have a dialect peculiar to themselves. See Wilson’s “Glossary,” London, 1855. W. E.
Dher.
The lowest race in India, now generally reduced to a state of slavery, but retaining many household words, indicative of their origin, and well worth attention. W. E. See [Pariah].
Dhurani.
A dialect of Affghan.
Djagataic, see under J.
Djetki.
Sanskritic: a dialect of Punjabi, spoken by the Djets or Djats, a people of the Punjab and Scinde. G. R.
Djoe-Tongo, see [Saramacca].
Dofar, see [Himyaritic].
Dom, Dombar.
Remnants of an aboriginal race in India, once a powerful people, now scattered as nomades, sometimes as predial slaves, or as acrobats, speaking all dialects, but having a domestic jargon peculiar to themselves. See “Supplementary Glossary, N. W. P.” W. E.
Domingo, St., see [W. Indies].
Donki, see Tungus.
Double-Dutch.
Gibberish: anything perfectly unintelligible.
Dsebu, Dsekiri, Dsuma.
African: Aku dialects. Vocaby. in Kölle’s “Af. Pol.” H. C.
Dsungar, Dzungarian.
Moghol: sub-dialect of Tatar.
Dukhani, see [Dakhani].
Dumhoeta.
A dialect of Danakil.
Duzen.
German term: familiar speech.
Dynke.
African: dialect of the U. Nile.
Dyur or Luoh.
African: name for the Shilluk, including Bellanda and Dembo. See Schweinfurth’s Grammar and Vocaby., Berlin, 1873. H. C.
Dzungarian, see [Dsungar].