Opuscula: Essays chiefly Philological and Ethnographical

by R. G. Latham

The Lenca language; these being from the four Pueblos of Guajiquiro, Opatoro, Intibucá, and Sirmlaton, those of the last being shorter and less complete than the others. They are quite recent, and are to be found only in the Spanish edition of Mr. Squier's Notes on Central America. The English is without them.

English.	Guajiquiro.	Opatoro.	Intibuca.
man	——	taho	amashe.
woman	——	move	napu.
boy	——	guagua	hua.
head	toco	tohoro	cagasi.
ear	yang	yan	yangaga.
eye	saing	saringla	saring.
nose	napse	napseh	nepton.
mouth	ingh	ambeingh	ingori.
tongue	nafel	navel	napel.
teeth	nagha	neas	nigh.
neck	ampsh	ampshala	cange.
arm	kenin	kenin	kening.
fingers	lasel	gualalasel ——
foot	guagi	quagi	guaskaring.
blood	uahug	uah	quch.
sun	gasi	gashi	gashi.
star	siri	siri	——
fire	uga	'ua	yuga.
water	guass	uash	guash.
stone	ca	cah	tupan.
tree	ili	ili	ili.
one	ita	ita	itaska.
two	naa	——	——
three	lagua	——	——
four	aria	——	——
five	saihe	saihe	——
six	huie	hue	——
seven	huis-ca	——	——
eight	teef-ca	——	——
nine	kaiapa	——	——
ten	isis	issis	——

As Mr. Squier is the sole authority for the Lenca of San Salvador and Honduras, so he is for

Nicaragua.

Limiting ourselves to the undoubtedly Nicaraguan area, and taking no note of the Mexican Proper of more than one interesting Mexican settlement, the three forms of speech for which we have specimens are—

1. The Choretega;
2. The Nagranda; and
3. The Wulwa, of the Chontal district.

And now we pass to the Debateable Ground. The language of

The Moskito Country

gives us a fourth form of speech; at least (I think) as different from the Choretega, Nagranda, Wulwa and Lenca, as they are from each other. This is—

The Waikna of the Indians of the coast, and, probably, of several allied tribes inland.