MYSTERY: Lionnet’s 1853 Chinuk Wawa vocabulary, with translations in an unknown Indigenous language

Thanks to a certain archive, I’ve stumbled onto this mystery and wonder if we can crowdsource an answer to it…

This is a rare example of the little-known Lionnet 1853 Chinook Jargon vocabulary from the lower Columbia River, we know that.

But, what is that language that’s been written in by hand?

It’s none of the Pacific NW Indigenous languages that I have reference resources for — and that’s a lot of languages.

So what do we have here?

𛰅𛱁‌𛰃𛱂 𛰙𛱁𛱆‌𛰅𛱁 𛰃𛱄𛰙‌𛰃𛱄𛰙? qʰáta mayka tə́mtəm?
kata maika tumtum? Qu’en penses-tu?
What do you think?
And can you say it in Chinuk Wawa?

Hey! Teach Yourself northern-dialect Chinook Jargon!

And join free Zoom sessions…currently Sundays @ 9AM!

Contact me for the Zoom link.

HIRE A LINGUIST! (me)