Ojibwa language

The Ojibwa language (Chippewa Language, Ojibwemowin, in Eastern Algonquian syllabics, or simply as Ojibwe) is the second most commonly spoken First Nations language in Canada (after Cree),^[1] and the fourth most spoken in North America (behind Navajo, Inuit and Cree). It is one of the Algonquian languages of the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language (or the Anishinaabe language or Anishinaabemowin), more specifically a major component of the Ojibwa-Ottawa language. However, it is also common for both the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language and its branch, the Ojibwa-Ottawa language, to be simply referred as the Ojibwa language.

Geographic distribution

Phonology

As with other members of the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language, the Ojibwe language 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, , and three corresponding long vowels, , as well as a fourth long vowel which lacks a corresponding short vowel, . The short vowels differ in quality as well as quantity from the long vowels, are phonetically closer to , , and . is pronounced for many speakers, and is for many . There are also nasal vowels, which are comparatively rare.

With regards to stress, the Ojibwa 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, initial unstressed vowels are frequently lost, while the in some dialects all unstressed vowels may change quality or may be lost.

Grammar

Like other members of the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language, the Ojibwa 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

Although it does contain a few loans from English (e.g. gaapii, "coffee," ) and French (e.g. mooshwe, "handkerchief" (from mouchoir),^[3] ni-tii, "tea" (from le thé, "the tea")), in general, the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa 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 meaning at one time have evolved to have different meanings today. 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.

Well-known speakers of Anishinaabemowin

Ojibwa language

Contents

Geographic distribution

Phonology

Grammar

Vocabulary

Well-known speakers of Anishinaabemowin

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

External links