The Savanos was the dialect of the south, and the The progress of the inquiry Wappanoos that of the east.

tribes."

this classification was slow. Wassanaar writes, "'Tis worthy of remark, that so great a diversity of language exists among the numerous tribes. They vary fre not over five or miles forthwith comes another six quently in

resulting in

:

;

language ; they meet and can hardly understand one another.

There are some who come sixty miles from the interior, and cannot well understand those on the river."

Michaelius, writ

" Their

language methinks is entirely peculiar. Many of our common people call it an easy language, which is

ing in 1 628, says

:

soon learned, but I am of a contrary opinion.

For those who

can understand their words to some extent and repeat them, fail greatly in the pronunciation and speak a broken language, like the language of Ashdod. For these people have different aspi rates and

many guttural letters which are formed -more in the throat than by the mouth, teeth, and lips, which our people not being accustomed to, guess at by means of their signs, and then It imagine that they have accomplished something wonderful. is

true, one can learn as much as

of trading, but

this

is

sufficient for the purposes

occurs almost as

thumb and fingers as by speaking.

much by signs with the

It also seems to us that

they

rather design to conceal their language from us than to