A similarity between Cree syllabics and (Kamloops Wawa) Duployan shorthand

[Dave Robertson]

Klahawiam,

Looking at the interactive East Cree grammar website-in-progress, I notice
that the syllabic system used for writing East Cree bears at least two
resemblances to the Duployan shorthand alphabet used by Father Le Jeune of
_Kamloops Wawa_.

In East Cree syllabics, the symbol for the /h/ sound, sort of a
perpendicular equals sign, is smaller than the other symbols, and does not
participate in the formation of written syllables.  That is, /h/ is written
separately from all syllable symbols.  ---In _Kamloops Wawa_, /h/ is a
smaller letter than the others (it's a dot), and unlike almost all the
others, cannot connect with a preceding or following letter.

In East Cree syllabics, long vowels are indicated by the addition of a
diacritic sign (a dot) above the syllable in which the long vowel is
located.  ---In Father Le Jeune's later work on the St'at'imcets (Lillooet)
Salish language, as evident in his 1897 "Lillooet Manual", there is a
mark which looks like his letter /i ~ e/, a small curved line, which he
seemingly uses there as a diacritic (an accent mark?).  I'm just beginning
the analysis of this St'at'imcets material, but my first guess, as hinted in
Henry Davis' and my paper "Fox and Cayooty", is that it indicates phonetic
length.  I have found it used so far on the vowels /u/, /i ~ e/, and /a/.

The similarities may be coincidental, but given the popularity of the idea
of "rational" writing systems including shorthands in the 19th century, when
missionaries were reducing northern North American indigenous languages to
writing, I wonder whether Le Jeune may in fact have found inspiration in the
syllabics.  Or vice versa.  Yet another reason to try to locate his papers
for research use.

Cheers,
Dave