New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues

Book excerpt: The original edition of this important grammar of the Abenaki language was first published in 1884 by Joseph Laurent (Sozap Lol Kizitgw), chief of the Indian village of St. Francis, P.Q., Canada. Its full original title was New familiar Abenakis and English dialogues, the first vocabulary ever published in the Abenakis language, comprising: the Abenakis alphabet, the key to the pronunciation and many grammatical explanations, also synoptical illustrations showing the numerous modifications of the Abenakis verb, &c.: to which is added the etymology of Indian names of certain localities, rivers, lakes, &c., &c. Today the Abenaki language is seriously endangered and is only spoken by a few elders in Southern Quebec, although there is an active interest in its revitalization. It is a member of the Algonquin family of First Nations (Native American) Languages and is related to a number of languages spoken, or once spoken, in New England and Eastern Canadian."