•PM245T3

The New

Methodical, Easy and Complete
DENE SYLLABARY.

With A

CE

E

I

0

u

With

A

(E

A’

i

0

c/

A (E &c.

<

>

o

D>

A

V Alone

Y

<2

9

9

©

9

1£) A/eae

II

<

>

>

>

A

V

lx

Q

a

10

©

©

©

5

K

<

>

>

>

A

V

//

Q

QA

>9

©

©

9

5

R

<

>

>

>

A

V

11

W

>

>

>

A

V

L

C

D

9

9

Q

U

1

Hw

<

>

>

>

A

V

T1

C

D

9

9

Q

U

•

r

a

9

©

9

Q

o

u

TD(1)

c

D

9

3

n

u

T

TC

a

9

9

9

Q

a

Th

a

D

D

D

o

□

Tl*

&

G

3

3

C2

a

T

a

D

D

D

a

u

(3)

Z

c

3

3

3

n

u

Z 2
, /

PB(1)

a

D

D

D

G

b

JL

Tz Dz

G

0

3

0

Q

o

s'

A(4)

(1)

S

s

3

3

3

m

ID

s s

K G, Kr

E

3

3

3

m

UJ

/

Sh

3

B

3

ffi

CIS

$

yi, Kh

a

B

B

B

m

CD

\

Ch

S

3

3

3

m

ID

K, Kr

a

B

B

B

DO

CD

V

Ts

a

3

3

3

m

OS

(2)

Ts

s

3

3

B

«

S3

N

c

J

J)

3

n

U

>

M

£.

3

3

3

n-

lu

< (

Hiatus

- Accessory.

0

*

EXPLANATORY NOTES.

(1) These letters are not differentiated in l)ene. (2) ~ is the nasal n. (3) z
is the French j. (4) s is phonetically intermediate between $ and s.

The vowels as in Italian', except ce as the e in Fr. je, te. — The r of Kr , Kr
is hardly perceptible, j are very guttural. It is the result o‘f uvular vibra¬
tions. Kh, Th =k+h, t+h. Q almost = ty. p is a peculiarly sibilant l. Tho
dot accompanying consonants represents the exploding sound (rendered by { in¬
corporated in the signs). * is prefixed to proper names, and o is suffixed to
syllables the vowel of which it is necessary to render long, The rest as in Engl.

* B8-Y0U arc respectfully requested to read the following carefully.
SOME OF THE

Advantages of the New Syllabary.

I. — The direction of the curve or angle of each sign infallibly determines
the nature of the vowel added to the fundamental consonant of each syllable,
and this direction is always perceived without the least effort of the mind. In
the Cree Alphabet such as given in Petitot’s Grammirc raisonnee, this direc¬
tion on which depends the vowel of the 'Syllable is either difficult to discern or
governed by no fixed rules. Thus, in that Syllabary, ^ points to the-tight,
b tf ic (9 upwards, b downwards, though the consonants expressed by
these differently turned signs are all in connection with the same vowel a. Hen¬
ce confusion—with co-relative difficulty—for the mind of the pupil.

II. — All the cognate sounds are rendered in the new syllabics by similarly
formal characters the general shape of which denotes the phonetic group to
which they belong, while their intrinsic modifications determine the nature of
the particular sound they represent. Thus the dentals are expressed by a single
curve; the gutturals by a double curve; the soft sibilants by a curve with un¬
dulating extremities; the hard sibilants by a double curve with like extrem¬
ities, etc. Therefore our 30 sets of letters are practically reduced to 9, viz.:
<HC a £ C 0 G C £ . So that the pupil who has become familiar
with these 9 signs may almost be said to have mastered the whole Alphabet;
for another good point in its favor is that

III. — The modifications of each fundamental character take place internally
and in conformity with 'logicdl and therefore easily learnt rdles. To illustrate
this remark, we will refer to the sign £. The student who already possesses
the aforesaid 9 principal signs will recognize it at sight—through its double
undulating curve—as a hard sibilant which, being affected by no modification,
must be given the primary hissing sound Set. Let us now insert therein the
perpendicular line 'which, when used as an internal accretion to a sign, corres¬
ponds to the h of the Boman Alphabet (as in < lira, < lava, Q thci, gj him),
and we obtain ££ sha. Should we cross the end of its horizontal line, we will
thereby add a t to that sign which will then become ££ tsha or elm. In li¬
ke manner, £ may be changed into £ tsa which in its turn is liable to bo
transformed into £ tsa. (2, EE; etc. ma y a ^ s0 become Q, EE, etc. —This
logic and consequent facility are sadly wanting in the old Syllabary which is
made up of disconnected signs many of which are differentiated only by addi¬
tional and external smaller signs (/^ /£ >0 '(5 b 1 tb c c< 3 y/ <3 <]•)
most of which aro also used as non-syllabic letters, and as such sometimes ha¬
ve in that same Alphabet a meaning quite different from that which :s attribu-

fed to tlicm when they arc considered as mere accessories. This arbitrary
change of value joined to the fact that these modifying signs sometimes pre¬
cede, sometimes follow, the main character must unavoidably confuse the mind
of the beginner and rendor the acquisition of reading unnecessarily difficult.

IV. — In our system, all the small signs (except o which, as its v £5rm indica¬
tes, is zero when alone) are consonants without vowel, and in no instance is any
of them used in another capacity, They have always the same value, and the
method and logic which we have noticed in the formation of the main or syl¬
labic signs have also presided to the composition of those which are merely
consonantal. Thus the nomsyllabic gutturals are expressed by vertical lines
(\ / v); the nasals by semicircles () c ~), &c. Note also the transformation of
s into $, sh) z into z, zh or j, etc. through the insertion of the i or modifying
h of the large characters. —The old Alphabet not only lacks this method and
resulting simplicity, hut it would seem as if its inventor had purposedly con¬
trived to render its acquisition undid}" difficult to the white student by giving
to s the value of l, to c that of g, to h that of /, etc.

V. — The new Syllabary is complete, while it is universally conceded that
the Cree Alphabet lacks about half a dozen sets of syllabic signs which are in¬
dispensable in such delicate languages as the Dene. Those who know the num¬
berless and most ridiculous contresens this scarcity leads to need no other rea¬
son to reject the whole system as practically worthless. Desides, in connection
with none of its signs is there any provision for such important vowel sounds
as those of oe (French e muet ) and u ( oo , Ifr. on). Yet in several, dialects a-:
characterizes the present tense and e the past, while the distinction between
o. and u is no less essential.

VI. — Lastly, we claim for our Syllabary a greater synthesis which renders

the writing shorter and, by avoiding the accumulation of non-syllabic signs,
makes the reading easier. For instance, the Cliippewayan word intan-chare ,
“leaf” which with the old syllables cannot he written without three consecu¬
tive small signs (A'O'E-P) is simply with the new system.

In conclusion, we may be permitted to state as illustrative of the practical,
worth of the new Syllabary that through it Indians of common intelligence
have learnt to read in one week’s leasurcly study before they had any Primer
or printed matter of any kind to help them on. We even know of a young
man who performed the feat in the space of two evenings.

JfcgrFoH FURTHER PARTICULARS APPLY TO THE PeV. A. G. MOPICE O.M.I

STUAPT’S LAKE, via QUESNELLE, B.C.