¹ The Muskogee (sometimes spelled Muskokee) or Creek language is still spoken by approximately four thousand Creek Indians now living in central eastern Oklahoma, mostly within the confines of what was known as the ‘Creek Nation’ in Indian Territory days.

² Loughridge, Rev. R. M., Dictionary of Muskokee and English, last edition, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1914.

³ In the fall of 1934, while engaged in field-work on the Natchez language (under the auspices of the Committee on Research in American Native Languages), I obtained some brief notes on Muskogee, primarily to be used as a medium through which to translate Natchez into English.

⁴ With the help of a number of educated Creeks, Loughridge did, however, work out an alphabet for writing Muskogee which is still used today by many Creeks who write their own language. Even from the phonemic point of view, his dictionary (written in this alphabet) is far superior to much work done in his day along similar lines.

⁵ Undertaken in 1936-7. I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to the Institute of Human Relations of Yale University for financial support in this work.

⁶ I was responsible for Swadesh's statement that ‘t and c are articulated in virtually the same position’.

⁷ This was checked visually as well as auditorially. My informant's reaction could be nicely checked by means of the word ‘ ‘going back in', where the vowels as well as the consonants are in palatal position. He testifies that in pronouncing this word his tongue ‘does not seem to move at all’; in other words, it does not move forward or backward.

⁸ Stressed syllables are indicated by a straight up and down stroke placed before the syllabic initial. In addition, each syllable has one of the following four types of tones: (1) high (indicated by an acute), (2) low (indicated by a grave), (3) rising from low to high (indicated by an inverted circumflex), and (4) falling from high to low (indicated by a circumflex).

⁹ There are thirteen consonants in Muskogee: y, w, p, f, m, t, n, ł, l, c, s, k, and h.

¹⁰ See note 4.

¹¹ Interestingly enough, there are other situations wherein these same informants attempt to handle their alphabet (in so far as is possible) more phonemically than it is handled by Loughridge.

¹² Some of these are: Loughridge, op. cit.; Loughridge and Rev. David Winslett, Nakcokv Esyvhiketv, Muskogee Hymns, fifth edition, revised, Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, Philadelphia, 1930; Este Maskoke Etvlwv Emvhakv Empvtakv momet Emvhakv (in English: The Constitution and Laws of the Creek Nation), 192 pp., 1894. The last-named is now rare; the title-page is missing in the only copy I have seen.