"Old employee, formerly of the Hudson Bay Company" – to Jeff Kopp

[Francisc Czobor]

Klahowya!

On Jeff Kopp’s webpage “Directory to on-line Jargon dictionaries and other
references”, in the note regarding the word list of the “Old employee,
formerly of the Hudson Bay Company”, it is still stated that “The name of
its author is doubtless lost, but any clues or information regarding this
work would be appreciated.”

I wonder to be the first one to notice that this word list with anonymous
author is identical with that of A.C. Anderson (San Francisco, California:
J.J. LeCount, 1857). Even the titles are identical: “Chinook Jargon:
Language used by the Different Indian Tribes, French and Half-Breeds of
Frazer's River, Puget Sound and Surrounding Country, as the Means of
Conversation with Americans”. The photocopy of Anderson’s wordlist is
available on-line at the following website:

http://www.ourroots.ca/e/viewpage.asp?ID=215971&size=2
(Hayash mersi to Leanne Riding for the link!!)

The only difference: in the Anonymous wordlist are missing the names
of “points of compass”, which are at the very end of Anderson’s wordlist.

There are also other wordlists that are obviously derived from Anderson’s
(they have even the same conversation examples), but with additional typos:

Hutchings & Rosenfield (publ.), Vocabulary of the Chinook Jargon: The
Complete Language Used by the Indians of Oregon, Washington Territory and
British Possessions. San Francisco, 1860 (http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/mtq?
doc=18646)

Hibben & Carswell (publ.), Dictionary of Indian Tongues, Containing Most of
the Words and Terms Used in the Tshimpsean, Hydah, & Chinook, with Their
Meaning or Equivalent in the English Language. Victoria, 1862
(http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/mtq?doc=16670)

Macdonald, Duncan George Forbes. "Chapter XII: Chinook Jargon and English
Equivalents." British Columbia and Vancouver's Island : comprising a
description of these dependencies : their physical character, climate,
capabilities, population, trade, natural history, geology, ethnology, gold-
fields, and future prospects : also an Account of the Manners and Customs
of the Native Indians. 3rd Edition. London, England: Longman, Green, 1863
(http://www.ourroots.ca/e/viewpage.asp?ID=198820&x=14&y=10&size=2)

Thus we have here another lineage of CJ dictionaries, distinct from
the “Gibbs-Shaw-Gill lineage”. It is less elaborate, with few examples and
no etymologies, but plenty of typos.
However, they are valuable since they provide words not found in the
classical “Gibbs-Shaw-Gill lineage”-dictionaries (like the Salishan
Stowbelow for “North” and Stegwaak for “South”, some animal names, incl.
birds, etc.)

Mesika Elitee,
Francisc

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