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Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language

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Anishinaabe language
ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ Anishinaabemowin
Pronunciation/ənɪʃʰɪnaːpeːmowɪn/ or /ənɪʰʃɪnaːpeːmowɪn/
Native to Canada,
 United States
Regionwestern Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and into Saskatchewan, with outlying groups as far west as British Columbia; in the United States, from Michigan westward to Montana
Native speakers
70,606 (Ojibwe: 32,460, Oji-Cree: 12,600 and Algonquin: 2,680, Ottawa: 7,128; Potawatomi: 30 in Canada;[1] Ojibwe: 13,838, Ottawa: 872 and Potawatomi: 998 in the United States[2])
Latin alphabet of various orthographies in Canada and the United States, and Ojibwe syllabics in Canada, and formerly, pictographs, and Great Lakes Aboriginal syllabics in the United States.
Language codes
ISO 639-1oj
ISO 639-2oji
ISO 639-3Variously:
alq – Algonquin
oji – Ojibwa (generic)
ojs – Severn Ojibwe
ojg – Eastern Ojibwe
ojc – Central Ojibwe
ojb – Northwestern Ojibwe
ojw – Western Ojibwe
ciw – Chippewa
otw – Ottawa
(pot) – (Potawatomi)

Location of all Anishinaabe Reservations/Reserves and cities with an Anishinaabe population in North America, with diffusion rings about communities speaking the Anishinaabe language

The Anishinaabe language (also called the Ojibwe group of languages, Ojibwa [ISO 639-3], Anishinabemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ in Eastern Ojibwe syllabics) is the second most commonly spoken Native language in Canada (after Cree),[1] and the third most spoken in North America (behind Navajo and Cree). It is spoken by the Anishinaabeg who are the Algonquin, Nipissing, Ojibwa (Chippewa), Saulteaux, Mississaugas and Odawa (Ottawa). Very closely related to Anishinaabemowin and often included in this group are the Anishinini language and the Potawatomi language. As their fur trading with the French increased the Ojibwas’ power, the Anishinaabe language became the trade language of the Great Lakes region, and was for hundreds of years an extremely significant presence in the northern United States.

Classification

Anishinaabemowin, often referred to as the "Ojibwe language" though Ojibwe language proper is just one component language of the Anishinaabemowin, is an Algonquian language, of the Algic family of languages, and is descended from Proto-Algonquian. Among its sister languages are Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Cree, Fox, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Shawnee. The Algic family contains the Algonquian languages and the so-called "Ritwan" languages, Wiyot and Yurok. Ojibwe group of languages is frequently referred to as a "Central Algonquian" language; however, Central Algonquian is an areal grouping rather than a genetic one. Among Algonquian languages, only the Eastern Algonquian languages constitute a true genetic subgroup. This article deals primarily with the Southwestern Ojibwe dialect spoken in the northern United States, around Minnesota and Wisconsin. Therefore, some of the descriptions given here will not necessarily hold true for other dialects of the Anishinaabe language, unless an example is specifically given.

Geographic distribution

Pre-contact distribution of the Nakawēmowin, Ojibwemowin and Omaamiwininimowin dialects of the Anishinaabe language

The Anishinaabe language is spoken by approximately 70,606 people in North America. Its largest component, the Ojibwe language, which includes the Chippewa language, Saulteaux language, Mississauga language and the Ottawa language, is spoken by 14,710 people in the United States[2] and by as many as 39,588 in Canada,[1] making it one of the largest Algic languages by speakers. The various dialects are spoken in northern Montana, northern North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Michigan in the United States, and north into eastern British Columbia, southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba and Ontario in Canada. The second largest Anishinaabe language component is Anishinini language, also known as Oji-cree, spoken by as many as 12,600 people in eastern Manitoba and northern Ontario in Canada;[1] it was one of only six indigenous languages in Canada to report an increase in use. Anishinaabe language also includes the Algonquin language, spoken by 2,680 people in northeastern Ontario and west-central Quebec;[1] all languages similar to the Algonquin language are described as being an Algonquian language. One of the smaller component of the Anishinaabe language is the Potawatomi language, spoken by approximately 1,000 people in Ontario, northeastern Wisconsin, Michigan, northern Indiana, northeastern Kansas and Oklahoma.

Language Canada United States Total (by speakers) Total ethnic population
Algonquin 2,680 0 2,680 5,000
Oji-Cree 12,600 0 12,600 12,600
Ojibwe 32,460 13,838 46,298 219,711
Ottawa 7,128 872 8,000 60,000
Potawatomi 30 998* 1,028 25,000
Total (by Country) 63,898 15,708 70,606 322,311

* Of the 998 recorded speakers of Potawatomi language in the United States, only 50 were first-language speakers, most of them elderly.[3]

Lingua franca

As fur trading with the French increased the Ojibwas’ power, the Anishinaabe language became the trade language of the Great Lakes region, and was for hundreds of years an extremely significant presence in the northern United States and across all of Canada.

The Anishinaabe language replaced the Wyandot language as the lingua franca of the Great Lakes region sometime during the middle of 17th century and remained as a lingua franca in the region until replaced by English in the late 19th century. Consequently, various dialects of the Anishinaabe language were understood by non-Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes as well as by other peoples beyond the Great Lakes. At the height of its use as the major diplomatic and trade language of the region, the Anishinaabe language was found from the Ohio River valley in the south to James Bay in the north and from Ottawa River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west. Due to the status being the lingua franca, the Anishinaabe language greatly influenced other Algonquian languages, such as the Menomini language, as well as spurring the creation of a pidgin language known as "Broken Ojibwa".

Dialects

Main article: Anishinaabe language dialects

The Anishinaabe language has quite a few divergent dialects. The primary ones are Nipissing and Algonquin, Plains Ojibwe (Saulteaux), Eastern Ojibwe (Mississaugas), Northern Ojibwe (Northwestern Ojibwa/Ontario Saulteaux), Odaawaa (Ottawa), Severn Ojibwe (Oji-Cree/Northern Ojibwa), and Southwestern Ojibwe (Chippewa). Though now considered a separate language, due to relatively recent diversion from the Anishinaabe language, the Potawatomi language still exhibit strong characteristics to the Anishinaabe language. During the Fur Trade, a pidgin form of the Anishinaabemowin, known as "Broken Ojibwa" or "Broken Oghibbeway", developed, relying on Anishinaabemowin for its vocabulary. It is often debated whether the Bungee language, a mixed language, is a mixture of the Anishinaabe language with other languages, or a mixture of a Cree language with other languages.

Phonology

Main article: Ojibwe phonology

Ojibwe group of languages generally have 18 consonants. Obstruents are often said to have a lenis/fortis contrast, where those written as voiceless are pronounced more strongly, significantly longer in duration, and often aspirated or pre-aspirated, while those written as voiced are pronounced less strongly and significantly shorter in duration. For many communities, however, the distinction has become a simple voiced/voiceless one.

There are three short vowels, /i a o/, and three corresponding long vowels, /iː aː oː/, as well as a fourth long vowel which lacks a corresponding short vowel, /eː/. The short vowels differ in quality as well as quantity from the long vowels, are phonetically closer to [ɪ], [ə]~[ʌ], and [o]~[ʊ]. /oː/ is pronounced [uː] for many speakers, and /eː/ is for many [ɛː]. There are also nasal vowels, which are comparatively rare.

With regards to stress, the Anishinaabe language divides words into metrical "feet," each foot containing a strong syllable and (if two-syllables long) a weak syllable. The strong syllables all receive at least secondary stress. In general, the strong syllable in the third foot from the end of a word receives the primary stress. In many dialects, unstressed vowels are frequently lost or change quality.

Grammar

Main article: Ojibwe grammar

Like many Native American languages, the Anishinaabe language is polysynthetic, meaning it exhibits a great deal of synthesis and a very high morpheme-to-word ratio. It is agglutinating, and thus builds up words by stringing morpheme after morpheme together, rather than having several affixes, each of which carry numerous different pieces of information.

There is a distinction between two different types of third person, the proximate (the third person deemed more important or in-focus) and the obviative (the third person deemed less important or out-of-focus). Nouns can be singular or plural, and one of two genders, animate or inanimate. Separate personal pronouns exist, but are usually used for emphasis; they distinguish inclusive and exclusive first person plurals.

Verbs constitute the most complex word class. Verbs are inflected for one of three orders (indicative, the default, conjunct, used for participles and in subordinate clauses, and imperative, used with commands), as negative or affirmative, and for the person, number, animacy, and proximate/obviative status of both its subject and object, as well as for several different modes (including the dubitative and preterit) and tenses.

Vocabulary

Look up Category:Ojibwe language in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Although it does contain a few loans from English (e.g. gaapii, "coffee," ) and French (e.g. mooshwe, "handkerchief" (from mouchoir),[4] ni-tii, "tea" (from le thé, "the tea")), in general, the Anishinaabe language is notable for its relative lack of borrowing from other languages. Instead, speakers far prefer to create words for new concepts from existing vocabulary. For example in Minnesota Ojibwemowin, "airplane" is bemisemagak, literally "thing that flies" (from bimisemagad, "to fly"), and "battery" is ishkode-makakoons, literally "little fire-box" (from ishkode, "fire," and makak, "box"). Even "coffee" is called makade-mashkikiwaaboo ("black liquid-medicine") by many speakers, rather than gaapii. These new words vary from region to region, and occasionally from community to community. For example, in Northwest Ontario Ojibwemowin, "airplane" is ombaasijigan, literally "device that gets uplifted by the wind" (from ombaasin, "to be uplifted by the wind") oppose to the Minnesota's bemisemagak. Like any language dialects spanning vast regions, some words that may have had identical meanings at one time have evolved to have different meaning. For example, zhooniyaans (literally "small[-amount of] money" and used to refer to coins) specifically means "dime" (10-cent piece) in the United States, but a "quarter" (25-cent piece) in Canada, or desabiwin (literally "thing to sit upon") means "couch" or "chair" in Canada, but is used to specifically mean a "saddle" in the United States.

Cases like "battery" and "coffee" also demonstrate the often great difference between the literal meanings of the individual morphemes in a word, and the overall meaning of the entire word.

Writing system

Main article: Ojibwe writing systems

Ojibwemowin is sometimes written using a syllabary, which is usually said to have been developed by missionary James Evans around 1840 and based on Pitman's shorthand. In the United States, the language is sometimes written phonemically with Roman characters. Syllabics are primarily used in Canada. The newest Roman character-based and most popular writing system is the Double Vowel System, devised by Charles Fiero. Although there is no standard orthography, the Double Vowel System is used by most language teachers in the United States and Canada because of its ease of use.

Double Vowel System

The Double Vowel System consists of three short vowels, four long vowels, 18 consonants and 1 nasal, represented with the following Roman letters:

a aa b ch d e g ' h i ii j k m n ny o oo p s sh t w y z zh

This system is called "Double Vowel" from the fact that the long vowel correspondences to the short vowels <a>, <i> and <o> are written with a doubled value. In this system, the nasal "ny" as a final element is instead written as "nh." The allowable consonant clusters are <mb>, <nd>, <ng>, <n'>, <nj>, <nz>, <ns>, <nzh>, <sk>, <shp>, <sht> and <shk>.

Examples

This Ojibwemowin example text is taken, with permission, from the first four lines of Niizh Ikwewag, a story originally told by Earl Nyholm, on Professor Brian Donovan of Bemidji State University's webpage.

Text

  1. Aabiding gii-ayaawag niizh ikwewag: mindimooyenh, odaanisan bezhig.
  2. Iwidi Chi-achaabaaning akeyaa gii-onjibaawag.
  3. Inashke naa mewinzha gii-aawan, mii eta go imaa sa wiigiwaaming gaa-taawaad igo.
  4. Mii dash iwapii, aabiding igo gii-awi-bagida'waawaad, giigoonyan wii-amwaawaad.

Translation

  1. Once there were two women: an old lady, and one of her daughters.
  2. They were from over there towards Inger.
  3. See now, it was long ago; they just lived there in a wigwam.
  4. And at that time, once they went net-fishing; they intended to eat fish.

Gloss

Aabiding gii-ayaawag niizh ikwewag: mindimooyenh, odaanisan bezhig.
aabiding gii- ayaa -wag niizh ikwe -wag mindimooyenh, o- daanis -an bezhig.
once PAST- be in a certain place -3PL two woman -3PL old woman, 3SG.POSS- daughter -OBV one.
Once they were in a certain place two women: old woman, her daughter one.
Iwidi Chi-achaabaaning akeyaa gii-onjibaawag.
iwidi chi- achaabaan -ing akeyaa gii- onjibaa -wag.
over there big- bowstring -LOC that way PAST- come from -3PL.
Over there by Inger
(lit: by Big-Bowstring [River])		 that way they came from there.
Inashke naa mewinzha gii-aawan, mii eta go imaa sa wiigiwaaming gaa-taawaad igo.
inashke naa mewinzha gii- aawan mii eta go imaa sa wiigiwaam -ing gaa- daa -waad igo.
look now long ago PAST- be so only EMPH there EMPH wigwam -LOC PAST.CONJ- live -3PL.CONJ EMPH.
Look now long ago it was, only there so in a wigwam that they lived just then.
Mii dash iwapii, aabiding igo gii-awi-bagida'waawaad, giigoonyan wii-amwaawaad.
mii dash iw- -apii aabiding igo gii- awi- bagida'waa -waad, giigoonh -yan wii- amw -aawaad.
it is that CONTR that- -then once EMPH PAST- go and- fish with a net -3PL.CONJ fish -OBV DESD- eat -3PL/OBV.CONJ
And then then, once just then that they went and fished with a net those fish that they are going to eat those

Abbreviations:

3 third person
SG singular
PL plural
POSS possessive
OBV obviative
LOC locative
EMPH emphatic particle
CONJ conjunct order
CONTR contrastive particle
DESD desiderative

Well-known speakers of Anishinaabemowin

See also

References

  • Mithun, Marianne. 1999. The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge: University Press.
  • Nichols, John D. and Earl Nyholm. 1995. A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Rhodes, Richard A. 1985. Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Valentine, J. Randolph. 2001. Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Statistics Canada 2006
  2. ^ a b http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-5-pt1.pdf U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing, Characteristics of American Indians and Alaska Natives by Tribe and Language: 2000. PHC-5. Washington, DC, 2003.
  3. ^ Hinton, Leanne and Hale, Kenneth (2001). The Green Book of Language Revitalization in Practice, p. 342. Emerald Group Publishing. ISBN 0123493536.
  4. ^ O'Meara, John. "Words Borrowed From English/French Into Ojibwe". Retrieved 2008-05-30.

Further reading

  • Beardy, Tom. Introductory Ojibwe in Severn dialect. Parts one and two. Thunder Bay, Ontario: Native Language Instructors' program, Lakehead University, 1996. ISBN 0886630185
  • Cappel, Constance, editor, "Odawa Language and Legends: Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima," Philadelphia: Xlibris, 2006.
  • Northrup, Jim, Marcie R. Rendon, and Linda LeGarde Grover. Nitaawichige = "to Do Something Skillfully" : Selected Poetry and Prose by Four Anishinaabe Writers. Duluth, Minn: Poetry Harbor, 2002. ISBN 1886895287
  • Toulouse, Isadore. Kidwenan An Ojibwe Language Book. Munsee-Delaware Nation, Ont: Anishinaabe Kendaaswin Pub, 1995. ISBN 1896027164
  • Vizenor, Gerald Robert. Summer in the Spring Anishinaabe Lyric Poems and Stories. American Indian literature and critical studies series, v. 6. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. ISBN 0806125187
  • Williams, Angeline, Leonard Bloomfield, and John Nichols. The Dog's Children Anishinaabe Texts. Winnipeg, Man: University of Manitoba Press, 1991. ISBN 0887551483
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