The Abiponian language is involved in new difficulties by a ridiculous custom which the savages have of continually abolishing words common to the whole nation, and substituting new ones in their stead. Funeral rites are the origin of this custom. The Abipones do not like that any thing should remain to remind them of the dead. Hence appellative words bearing any affinity with the names of the deceased are presently abolished. During the first years that I spent amongst the Abipones, it was usual to say _Hegmalkam kahamátek?_ When will there be a slaughtering of oxen? On account of the death of some Abipon, the word _kahamátek_ was interdicted, and, in its stead, they were all commanded, by the voice of a cryer, to say, _Hegmalkam négerkatà_? The word _nihirenak_, a tiger, was exchanged for _apañigehak_; _peûe_, a crocodile, for _kaeprhak_, and _Kaáma_, Spaniards, for _Rikil_, because these words bore some resemblance to the names of Abipones lately deceased. Hence it is that our vocabularies are so full of blots, occasioned by our having such frequent occasion to obliterate interdicted words, and insert new ones. Add to this another thing which increases the difficulty of learning the language of the Abipones. Persons promoted to the rank of nobles are called _Hëcheri_, and _Neleřeycatè_, and are distinguished from the common people even by their language. They generally use the same words, but so transformed by the interposition, or addition of other letters, that they appear to belong to a different language. The names of men belonging to this class, end in _In_; those of the women, who also partake of these honours, in _En_. These syllables you must add even to substantives and verbs in talking with them. The sentence, This horse belongs to Captain Debayakaikin, would be rendered by an Abipon, speaking the vulgar tongue, in this manner: _Eneha ahëpegak Debayakaikin lela_. But in the language of the Hëcheri you must say, _Debayakaikin lilin_. They salute a plebeian with _Là nauichi?_ Art thou come? to which he replies _Là ñauè_, I am come. If a noble person is addressed, he must be saluted in these words: _La náuirin_, Art thou come? and he, with much importance, and pompous modulation of his voice, will reply, _Là ñauerinkie_, I am come. Moreover, they have some words peculiar to themselves, by which they supersede those in general use. Thus, the common people call a mother, _Latè_, the nobles, _Lichiá_. The former call a son _Laétařat_, the latter _Illalèk_, not to mention other instances. Both in the explanation of religion, and in common conversation, we chose to use the vulgar tongue, because it was understood by all.