simpler
and more direct. It is the negro dialect in its most primitive
state--the "Gullah" talk of some of the negroes on the Sea Islands,
being merely a confused and untranslatable mixture of English and
African words. In the introductory notes to "Slave Songs of the United
States" may be found an exposition of Daddy Jack's dialect as complete
as any that can be given here. A key to the dialect may be given very
briefly. The vocabulary is not an extensive one--more depending upon the
manner, the form of expression, and the inflection, than upon the words
employed. It is thus an admirable vehicle for story-telling. It
recognizes no gender, and scorns the use of the plural number except
accidentally. "'E" stands for "he" "she" or "it," and "dem" may allude
to one thing, or may include a thousand. The dialect is laconic and yet
rambling, full of repetitions, and abounding in curious elisions, that
give an unexpected quaintness to the simplest statements. A glance at
the following vocabulary will enable the reader to understand Daddy
Jack's dialect perfectly, though allowance must be made for inversions
and elisions.

_B'er_, brother.
_Beer_, bear.
_Bittle_, victuals.
_Bret_, breath.
_Buckra_, white man, overseer, boss.
_Churrah_, _churray_, spill, splash.
_Da_, the, that.
_Dey_, there.
_Dey-dey_, here, down there, right here.
_Enty_, ain't he? an exclamation of astonishment or assent.
_Gwan_, going.
_Leaf_, leave.
_Lif_, live.
_Lil_, _lil-a_, or _lilly_, little.
_Lun_, learn.
_Mek_, make.
_Neat'_, or _nead_, underneath, beneath.
_Oona_, you, all of you.
_Sem_, same.
_Shum_, see them, saw them.
_Tam_, time.
_'Tan'_, stand.
_Tankee_, thanks, thank you.
_Tark_, or _tahlk_, talk.
_Teer_, tear.
_Tek_, take.
_T'ink_, or _t'ought_, think, thought.
_T'row_, throw.
_Titty_, or _titter_, sissy, sister.
_Trute_, truth.
_Turrer_, or _tarrah_, the other.
_Tusty_, thirsty.
_Urrer_, other.
_Wey_, where.
_Wun_, when.
_Wut_, what.
_Y'et_ or _ut_, earth.
_Yeddy_, or _yerry_, heard, hear.
_Yent_, ain't, is n't.

The trick of adding a vowel to sound words is not unpleasing to the ear.
Thus: "I bin-a wait fer you; come-a ring-a dem bell. Wut mek-a (or
mekky) you stay so?" "Yeddy," "yerry," and probably "churry" are the
result of this--heard-a, yeard-a, yeddy; hear-