Joseph Paul Gaimard's 1819 CHamoru/Chamorro Vocabulary

Scientific Studies - agana house chores
Agana, Guam: House Chores by Js. Arago from the Freycinet collection, 1824. Image courtesy of the Guam Public Library System.

Translation and Annotation

Dr. Alexander M. Kerr of the University of Guam translated Joseph Paul Gaimard’s 1819 glossary of CHamoru words assembled while he was on Guam in April 1819 as the naturalist of the French expedition about the French naval vessel Uraine. The ship, under the command of Louis Claude de Freycinet, circumnavigated the world during the years 1817 to 1820.

The glossary contains 184 CHamoru words, numbers and phrases, some of which have not been seen before and some of which are not currently in use.

See also

Adelbert von Chamisso’s 1817 Chamorro Vocabulary

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