Dictionary of the Karif language as spoken on the Bay of Honduras
Name:
Henderson, Alexander, of Belize, Honduras
Date:
1873
Description:
C. Hermann Berendt's transcription, in a notebook of lined paper, of a dictionary of English and Garifuna (Karif), written by Alexander Henderson, documenting the Garifuna language as spoken in the coastal areas around the Gulf (Bay) of Honduras. The dictionary comprised part of a larger manuscript by Henderson on the Garifuna language, which he wrote at the request of Berendt, on the basis of material accumulated years before. For Berendt's copy of the grammar contained in that larger manuscript, see Ms. Coll. 700, Item 126. In the preface (p. III-IV), Henderson specifies that the coastal area in which the language was spoken extended from Belize southward to a town named Littlerock on the Mosquito (Moskito) shore (either northeastern Honduras or Nicaragua). His remarks on the Garifuna people and language include mention of their being moved by the British in 1796 from the island of Saint Vincent to the island of Roatán, and their later migration to the mainland. He also characterizes them as a branch of the Carib Indians originating in a region 75 miles north of Belize. In an extensive footnote (p. 226-231), Berendt takes pains to discount the latter theory about the origin of the Garifuna, quoting a long passage from a letter Henderson wrote him (dated 26 December 1872) in which the theory plays a role, and then describing the regions to the north, in which the Maya language predominates. The early pages of the dictionary (to mid p. 26) are crossed out by Berendt with a diagonal slash across the page, and the reader is referred to the back of the book, where he has revised these pages (p. 187-225). Whereas the crossed-out version is spare, presenting mainly single-word Garifuna equivalents for English words, the revised version, with slightly more entries, often includes examples of usage, especially for verbs. In the rest of the dictionary (p. 26-185), this expanded style of presentation is used. In a note tipped in (verso of title page), Berendt indicates that he has made additions in blue ink taken from a manuscript vocabulary prepared by Henderson for Berendt's comparative vocabulary of languages spoken between the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Honduras; such blue-ink additions are not evident (the manuscript by Henderson that Berendt refers to here appears to correspond to Ms. Coll. 700, Item 135). The December 1872 letter from Henderson cited above (1 bifolium), along with 4 additional letters from him to Berendt (dated 16 May, 30 May, and 18 October 1871, and 28 July 1873; 1 leaf and 3 bifolia), as well as Berendt's drafts of 2 letters of his to Henderson (dated 20 November 1871 and October 1872, 2 bifolia), are among items that were tipped in or laid in, and are now housed in a separate folder shelved with the manuscript. Besides the Garifuna manuscript, topics of the correspondence include Henderson's manuscript for the comparative vocabulary (referred to above, and described in Henderson's letters of May 1871 as a vocabulary of 600 words); and a vocabulary of the Tawahka (Twaka) Indians that he sent to Berendt, which was originally collected by a certain merchant Mr. Haly. Henderson's original pages of the latter vocabulary, with a few words from the San Blas Indians, are also among the items in the folder shelved with the manuscript (2 bifolia that originally formed a 4-leaf gathering; 2 pages concern Karif). For Berendt's transcription of the Tawahka vocabulary, see Ms. Coll. 700, Item 133; and for his transcription of the vocabulary of the San Blas Indians, see Ms. Coll. 700, Item 164.
Language:
English
Provenance:
From the collection of C. Hermann Berendt, later acquired by Daniel Garrison Brinton (ex libris stamp on title page, and on facsimile of spine, inside upper cover).; Berendt, C. Hermann 1817-1878, former owner.; Brinton, Daniel G. 1837-1899, former owner.
123 leaves : paper; 192 x 128 (160-165 x 100-105) mm bound to 199 x 144 mm + 9 notes
Geographic Subject:
Belize; Honduras; Belize -- Languages; Honduras -- Languages
Rights:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Notes:
Ms. codex.; Born in 1804; served as Baptist missionary in British Honduras (Belize), beginning in 1835.; Title from title page (p. I).; Pagination: Paper, fol. i (paper endleaf) + 123 + i (paper endleaf); [i-ii] [I-III], [IV], 1-240; contemporary pre-printed pagination, upper outer corners. 3 partial leaves tipped in (verso of title page, and p. 29, 113).; Layout: Generally written in 21-22 long lines, with the Garifuna immediately following the English in each dictionary entry. Entries for every successive letter of the alphabet are begun on a new page, with that letter written as a block capital, centered at head of page. Left bounding line ruled in lead.; Script: Written in the hand of C. Hermann Berendt.; Decoration: Pencilled facsimile of a book spine labelled: Henderson / Karif Dictionary / MS. / B. (paper strip tipped in on inside upper cover).; Binding: Contemporary boards, with the word Records in all capital letters blind stamped on upper cover, and in gilt letters on spine; spine with 4 raised bands and horizontal gilt borders. Spine covering partially detached along edge adjoining lower cover; bifolium (p. i-ii, I-II), including title page, detached, and following leaf (p. III-IV) partially detached.; Origin: Written in New York in 1873 (title page).; English and Garifuna, with occasional French and Spanish words noted by Berendt throughout the manuscript for comparison. Notes of Henderson include vocabulary in the language of the Tawahka and in the Cuna language of the San Blas Indians.
Physical Location:
Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Manuscripts, Ms. Coll. 700 Item 127
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