REVIEWS
Linguistic Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology, a General Review
If only by virtue of its historical position, the Bureau of American Ethnology is easily the most prominent American institution engaged in scientific research and publication on the ethnology, archæology, physical anthropology, and linguistics of the natives of America, particularly of the tribes north of Mexico. For linguistic students there is cause for congratulation that from the very first the Bureau has devoted a considerable share of its attention to the study of the languages of these tribes. For this policy they must ever remain thankful to the founder of the Bureau, J. W. Powell, who, though not a linguist, clearly perceived the value of linguistic data to Americanistic studies. He himself set the ball rolling with his “Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages,” published in 1877. Since then there has been a steady stream of Bureau linguistic publications, of varying interest and importance, but, on the whole, of constantly increasing merit, until the total output has reached the respectable figure of well-nigh ten thousand printed pages. It is now just forty years since the Bureau, or rather its immediate government precursor, published the “Introduction” referred to, so that this would seem to be an appropriate enough time to get a bird’s-eye view of the whole linguistic output. A specific review of each and every publication would be both useless and impossible, but perhaps a few general impressions may not be without value. The publications themselves are listed in the following bibliography.
I. General
1. Powell, J. W. Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages, with Words, Phrases and Sentences to be collected (Washington, BBAE, Government Printing Office, 1877: 1-104; 2d edition, 1880: 1-228).
2. Dorsey, J. O.; Gatschet, A. S.; and Riggs, S. R. Illustrations of the Method of Recording Indian Languages (RBAE 1 [1881]: 579-589).
3. Powell, J. W. On the Evolution of Language, as exhibited in the Specialization of the Grammatic Processes, and the Differentiation of the Parts of Speech, and the Integration of the Sentence; from a Study of Indian Languages (Ibid., 1-16).
4. — Philology, or the Science of Activities designed for Expression (RBAE 20 [1903]: cxxxix-clxx).
5. Boas, Franz. Introduction (Handbook of American Indian Languages, BBAE 40 [pt. 1, 1911]: 1-83).
II. Bibliography
6. Pilling, J. C. Catalogue of Linguistic Manuscripts in the Library of the Bureau of Ethnology (RBAE 1 [1881]: 553-577).
7. — Proof-sheets of a Bibliography of the Languages of the North American Indians (Distributed only to collaborators) (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1885: 1-1135).
8. — Bibliography of the Siouan Languages (BBAE 5 [1887]: 1-87).
9. — Bibliography of the Eskimo Language (BBAE 1 [1887]: 1-116).
10. — Bibliography of the Iroquoian Languages (BBAE 6 [1888]: 1-208).
11. — Bibliography of the Muskhogean Languages (BBAE 9 [1889]: 1-114).
12. — Bibliography of the Algonquian Languages (BBAE 13 [1891]: 1-614).
13. — Bibliography of the Athapascan Languages (BBAE 14 [1892]: 1-125).
14. — Bibliography of the Salishan Languages (BBAE 16 [1893]: 1-86).
15. — Bibliography of the Wakashan Languages (BBAE 19 [1894]: 1-70).
