Subject: World Languages
Details:Sign Language
If there were no interpreter who knew the language, signing seemed to work reasonably well as the Explorers moved westward and encountered new language groups and variations. Today signing is becoming an accepted language in its own right and is sometimes taught in public schools.
English as a Second Language
French was commonly used among members of the Corps, thanks to French Canadian trappers and guides who were recruited by Lewis and Clark. French business owners and suppliers were also based in the more populated St. Louis area and all the way down to New Orleans. At one point along the journey, there were six different translations required to get a message from a chief to the captains.
Native American Languages
Experts now know there are distinct Native American language groups across the territory explored by Lewis and Clark, but the ethnography gathered by the Corps was the first deliberate effort to document the languages used. Lewis had devised an elaborate spreadsheet to keep a record of common sounds, words and meanings, but those documents were apparently separated during handling by subsequent editors and were lost.
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