For example, a wagon in Chinook is chick-chick, a clock is ding-ding, a crow is kaw-kaw, a duck, quack-quack, a laugh, tee-hee; the heart is tum-tum, and a talk or speech or sermon, wah-wah.

The language was of English invention; it took its name from the Chinook tribes, and became common in the Northwest.
Nearly all of the old English and American traders in the Northwest learned to talk Chinook, and to teach Chinook was one of the purposes of the school.
"Can you tell me what that is ?" asked Mr.Mann, pointing to the letter A in the primer.
"Fox-trap." "No; that is the letter A." "How do you know ?" Our digger of Greek roots from Cambridge was puzzled.

He could not repeat the story of Cadmus to this druid of the forest or make a learned talk on arbitrary signs.

He answered happily, however, "Wise men said so." "Me understand." "That is the letter B." "Yes, aha! Boston tilicum, you let her be.

Old woman no good; me punish her.