1148 zy

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zyxwvutsr American Anthropologist [63, 19611
and Literal Transcriptions,” the last word used in error for “translations.” The pages
are printed sideways, so that it is necessary to turn the book around 90 degrees. Lin-
guists accustomed to Martin Joos’s Readings i n Linguistics will be able to do this with
ease. Each page has a left-hand column in Huron and a right-hand column with a word
for word translation. Each Huron word (occasionally more or less than a single word) is
followed by a raised number which identifies the translation. The Huron is not set in
type, but reproduced directly from a handwritten transcription that is entirely legible.
I hesitate to do so, and yet I think there is good reason to complain over texts still
being published in phonetic transcription, as this one is. If there were a one-to-one cor-
respondence with the phonemes, the objection would be a minor one. But the fact re-
mains that I have never seen a phonetic transcription of a text that was not full of in-
accuracies. J. N. B. Hewitt’s were the best of all Iroquoian transcriptions, but even
they contained error after error. Phonemic writing is valuable not just on abstract
theoretical grounds, but because a systematization of the speech sounds leads to an ac-
curacy of recording not otherwise attainable. No matter how good a transcriber’s ear,
an excess of diacritics in some places is bound to be matched by a deficiency in others.
Balance is impossible. I expect, as an example, that dlkg‘tdrdte’, “to the lake” (p. 59)
does not have significant aspiration after the p. On the other hand dwdtdtg’, “our kind”
(p. 67) ought to have a glottal stop following the d. It would be of some comparative in-
terest to know that I was wrong in either case, but the inevitable inconsistencies of
phonetic writing force me to think it most probable that it is the transcriptions which
are in error.

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Huron is a Northern Iroquoian language more closely related to the Five Nations
languages (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk) than is Tuscarora, but
yet somewhat apart from the Five Nations subgroup. Immediately noticeable are the

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several different correspondences to k in the other languages. Initially it appears in
Huron as y (e.g., ye- “first person”; Sen,, One. ke-). Between a vowel and a resonant it
is missing altogether (aura- “first person exclusive plural”; Sen., One. akwa-). There are
other environments where the correspondence remains k (see an example in the para-
graph above). Apparently of no more than phonetic significance is the occurrence of
initial or intervocalic m corresponding to w adjacent to a nasalized vowel (hgma-
..
“they , him”; One. hywa-, Sen. h?w?-). This m allophone of w is evidently restricted
to the Wyandot dialect (see the dialect contrast noted in How the Huron-Wyandot Lan-
guage was Saved from Oblivion, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society
93: 231-2, 1949).
Detailed comparative work will be greatly aided by the promised lexicon, which I
hope will follow not far behind. I hope, also, that the Onondaga and Tuscarora lan-
guages will likewise be saved from oblivion before the not too distant day arrives when
they will have to be laid beside Huron in the Northern Iroquoian family tomb.
The Folk Songs of North America i n the English Language. ALANLOMAX. Melodies and
guitar chords transcribed by PEGGYSEEGER.With 100 piano arrangements by
MATYAS SEIBERand DON BANKS.Illustrated by MICHAELLEONARD. Editorial
assistant SHIRLEYCOLLINS.Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
Inc., 1960. xxx, 623 pp., 3 appendices, end maps, 34 illustrations, index, $7.50.
Reviewed by BRUNONETTL,Wayne State University
Here we have a collection of 317 songs which constitute a really adequate cross-
section of the North American heritage in English (excepting only the recent Indian
 Book Reviews zyxw
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songs sung in English). Lomax has prepared it evidently with a view to appealing both
to the casual folk singer and to the serious student. For the former, this book is among
1149

the best in its field; for the latter, it is interesting but occasionally lacking in important
features. Each song is supplied with guitar accompaniment; about 100 of the songs
have piano accompaniments as well. A general introduction and a hall-page note on
each song supply background information of a historical nature, commenting on the
words, singers, and-too rarely-on the music of the songs. Three appendices-bibliog-
raphy, a guide for playing folk song accompaniments on guitar and banjo, and a dis-
cography-add valuable information. A large number of the songs are from the collec-
tions of Alan Lomax and his father, John Lomax. The rest are quoted from published

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sources, most of them reliable and authoritative collections. For the folk singing set,
this book is just the thing.
But it is also a contribution to folk song scholarship, though the statements of
interest to serious students are not presented in organized form and may be difficult
to find. The book lacks such standard trappings of folk song research as Child numbers
or standard titles for the ballads, specific musical analysis of individual songs or in a
summary, and indications of musical variants among the stanzas of one song. But

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Lomax’s approach is new in several ways. His basic organization is regional, and his
division of the continent into North, Southeast, West, and Negro areas seems to make
sense, especially when further subdivided. Although few songs are restricted to one area,
Lomax has picked for each part of the continent those songs which are most commonly
found there and whose words are most indicative of the section’s history and culture.
I n The Folk Songs of North America, Lomax also pursues a theory, stated in previous
papers, regarding the differences in vocal style-that is, in the use of the voice and the
quality of sound thereby produced-between the sections of this country. His observa-
tions on these differences are astute, but the causes to which he attributes these dii-
ferences-inhibitions due to religious training, etc.-sometimes seem to be the result
of speculation alone. A t several points, Lomax’s scholarship is hampered by his ro-
mantic approach to the material. His vast knowledge and detailed acquaintance with
the songs and their singers occasionally, and curiously, stand in his way. Thus, the
Southern vocal style is “pinched-voiced” (not a bad way of describing it) but also
“guilt-ridden” (hardly descriptive of sound). Too many developments in American
history are ascribed simply to the “folklore of sin” in Puritan culture. The differeaces

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between American and European folk song patterns are overemphasized, as is the
importance of improvisation in Negro folk singing and its absence in that of the Whites.
Throughout the book, regional differences in North America are overstressed in favor
of the over-all unity of the material. There are some general statements which one may
well question: “The first function of music, especially of folk music, is to produce a
feeling of security for the listener. . . . Folk song calls the native back to his roots and
prepares him emotionally to dance, worship, work, fight, or make love in ways normal
to his place.” I t is such sentences, presented without documentation and explanation,
that tend to lessen the value of this book for both the amateur and the scholar. When
Lomax makes generalizations, he is on unsafe ground. When he is specific, especially
when his statements are based on his field experience, he is authoritative. I n summary,
then, The Folk Songs of North America is to be used with care by the serious student,
and with enthusiasm by the singer. It is unusual to find a book which can be used by
both classes, and Alan Lomax has managed to iron out most of the points of conflict
between them.