A Discussion of Native American Language by *Adriaen Van der Donck, exerpted from A Description of the New Netherlands, the second edition published in 1656.

---

... Their languages and dialects are very different, as unlike each other as
the Dutch, French, Greek, and Latin are. Their declensions and
conjugations have an affinity with the Greek and accord to it.
Their declensions, augmentations, cases, and adverbs are like the Greek;
but to reduce their language to any of ours, would be impossible, for there
is no resemblance between the same.
Before we have acquired a knowledge of any of their languages or dialects,
we know no more of what they say than if a dog had barked.
In some of their languages the letter r is not sounded, and in others
scarcely a syllable is spoken without it; otherwise they are not very
different, and the tribes usually can understand their dialects.
Their various tongues may be classed into four distinct languages,
namely, Manhattan, Minquas. Savanoos, and Wappanoos.
With the Manhattans, we include those who live in the neighbouring
places along the North River, on Long Island, and at the Neversink.
With the Minquas we include the Senecas, the Maquaas, and other inland
tribes. The Savanoos are the southern nations, and the Wappanoos are the
eastern nations.
Their languages are seldom learned perfectly by any of our people, and
those who by long and continued intercourse and conversation with the
Indians learn to speak their language are not men of education and are
unable to compose grammatical rules for the same and of course are unable
to instruct others.

---

*Adrien van der Donck, in 1646 obtained a grant for the the region which now is the City o Yonkers from the Dutch West India Company. He secured his title to the land by purchasing the land around the Nepahan River from the Lenape Indians. The Saw Mill he built on the river gave the Nepahan the name it is know known by --- The Saw Mill River.