Alphabetical Vocabularies of the Clallum and Lummi

A linguistic reference written in the mid-19th century. This scholarly work focuses on documenting the vocabulary and linguistic features of the Clallam and Lummi tribes, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The book explores both languages, highlighting their differences and similarities, and aims to contribute to the understanding of Native American languages in the broader context of cultural and linguistic studies. The opening of the work introduces the setting and peoples of the Clallam and Lummi tribes, detailing their geographical locations, linguistic affiliations, and several intriguing phonetic features of their languages. Gibbs describes the locales inhabited by these tribes, emphasizing the significant elements of their languages, such as the frequent occurrence of nasal sounds and unique vowel pronunciations. Additionally, he mentions his efforts in collecting vocabulary during his time with the N.W. Boundary Commission, providing an overview of the structure and content of the vocabularies he compiled, setting the stage for the extensive linguistic data that follows.