Today we're looking at Eskimaux and English Vocabulary for the Use of the Arctic Expeditions, published in 1850 under orders from the British Admiralty. The preface specifies that the book is intended to aid efforts to relieve the Franklin Expedition, which had departed five years before. After a discussion of the "Eskimaux" language, we move into a description of its grammar and then an extensive (but pocket-sized) vocabulary. The real treat is the selection of useful phrases, divided into categories like "Enquiries as to Strange Ships," "Notice of Reward for News of Missing Ships," and "Dialogue with a Sick Man." Here are a few of our favorite phrases:
- Have you seen any large ships lately?
- Have you seen any white men on this coast?
- We are in search of two English ships Which have been five years in the ice.
- The Queen of England will give a large reward To any of the Innuít who will bring news of them.
Of course, there's something very immediate about the words deemed necessary for talking to a sick man, such as "Do not be afraid" and "I must bleed you." It's a fascinating peek into what British explorers expected to need as they traveled into the Arctic, as well as their attitudes to the people there. There's even a discussion in the preface of the term used for the Inuit over their own autonym. To read it, ask for Stefansson PM63 .W33.
