(5) When the sign ½ follows a letter, it means that it is to be only half pronounced, somewhat as the first e in the German word gegangen, or the second e in the English word achievement.
(6) I have tried to indicate the length of a syllable by adding an h, a plan which I preferred to the ordinary signs ∽ or ⏝, since these might easily be confused in printing.
(7) A g is often heard at the end of the syllables on and an; consequently I have written them ong and ang. This is the German system, as I have indicated by the word "German." It is assumed that the philologist will be familiar, at least in general, with German as well as with French and English pronunciation.
(8) As the French acute accent seemed to me entirely adequate for indicating the correct intonation of the Indian words, I have chosen it to show on what letter or syllable the emphasis is to be placed. Occasionally, owing to haste or lack of time, it may have been forgotten or omitted.
(9) In the case of the letter j, I have not followed Mr. Pickering's scheme, for everyone knows how it is pronounced in French and in German. When it has the former value—as very often in the American languages—I have noted "French:" i.e., pronounce as in French. In no other way, it seems to me, can the soft French j be clearly indicated.
(10) The German guttural sound ch, as in the syllables ach, och, or uch, is, as Gallatin observes, difficult for Englishmen and Frenchmen;[233] but it occurs everywhere in the American languages, and the reader must learn it if he wishes to pronounce such words correctly.
(11) The r is never pronounced by these peoples as a guttural, but always with the point of the tongue against the roof of the mouth; d and r, as well as r, l, and n,[234] are quite often interchanged, or indistinctly pronounced.
(12) On the syllable in, I have often noted that n is to be pronounced as in French: i.e., the syllable in does not sound like ain in French, but merely the n is pronounced as in French; the whole sound is, therefore, almost i nasal, and only a little at the end sinks to n.
It is the duty of every traveller in distant, little-known lands to make contributions, according to his ability, to the knowledge of their languages; hence I have brought together in the following pages my own notes, however insignificant and incomplete they may be, under the difficulties which stand in the way of such work. The ignorance of the interpreters, their lack of sympathy with any kind of scientific investigation, the frequent unwillingness of the Indians to assist, superstitious and unintelligible ideas, and lack of time and leisure—these usually combine to make such examinations difficult. When, here and there, I detected some deviations from Mr. Gallatin's vocabularies, it was my duty to record them in order to aid investigation and come nearer the truth. The fault-finding spirit would certainly never prompt me to this, since we are concerned here, not with the use of the material, but with the former method of collecting it.
I have written these vocabularies, in part from the pronunciation of the Indians themselves; in part, from that of interpreters, who are usually half-breeds, and therefore thoroughly acquainted with the Indian as well as with the French or English languages—they have, at least, lived for a long time with those nations; finally, in part from the pronunciation and with the kind assistance of the Indian agent, Major Dougherty,[235] who speaks several of these languages fluently. From some tribes, owing to lack of time or interpreters, I have obtained but few words; from others, more; the most complete vocabularies are in the Mandan and Minnitarri languages, because I passed the winter among them. While I was living with the Mandans I undertook something of a grammatical study of their language; but unfortunately its continuation and completion were interrupted by illness.