ss
and variety; yet is injured by the frequent recurrence of the sound of
_u_. The Chilese language differs essentially from every other American
language, both in words and construction, with the exception of eighteen
or twenty words of Peruvian origin, which is not to be wondered at,
considering the contiguity of the two countries. The most singular
circumstance in this language is, that it contains a considerable number
of words apparently of Greek and Latin derivation, and having similar
significations in both languages; yet I am inclined to believe that this
circumstance is merely accidental[54].

[Footnote 54: Perhaps these words may have been adopted into the Chilese
language from the Spaniards, who speak a kind of dialect of Latin. The
remainder of this section is an abridgement of an Essay on the Chilese
language, appended to the second volume of Molina.--E.]

* * * * *

The original language of Chili, generally called the Araucanian, is
denominated by the natives _Chili-dugu_, or the Chili speech or
language. The alphabet is the same as the Latin, except the want of _x_,
which indeed is only a compound letter. The _s_ likewise only occurs in
about twenty of their words, and never at the termination; and the _z_
is still more rare. Besides the ordinary letters, the Chilese has the
mute _e_, and a peculiar _u_ like the Greek and French; the former being
designated by the _acute_, and the latter by the _grave_ accent, to
distinguish them from the ordinary _e_ and _u_. This latter _u_ is often
changed to _i_. It has likewise a nasal _g_ and a _th_; which latter is
often changed to _ch_, as _chegua_ for _thegua_, a dog. There are no
gutturals or aspirates. All the words end either in one of the six
vowels, or in _b,d,f,g,l,m,n,r, or v_; so that there are fifteen
distinct terminations. The accent is usually on the penult vowel,
sometimes on the last, but never on the antipenult. The radical words,
mostly monosyllables or dissyllables, are estimated at 1973. As far as
we have been able to discover, these radicals have no analogy with any
other known idiom, though the language contains a number of Greek and
Latin words very little varied, as in the following table. It is proper
to mention, that the orthography of the Chilese words is given according
to the Italian pronunciation.

CHILESE. GREEK. SIGNIFICATION Aldun Aldein to increase. Ale Ele
splendour. Amun Mouen to go. Cai Kai and.