Anishinaabe language

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Anishinaabe language

The Anishinaabe language (also called the Ojibwe group of languages, Ojibwa [ISO 639-3], Anishinabemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, in Eastern Ojibwe syllabics) is the second most commonly spoken Native language in CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
(after CreeCree language

Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada, ...
), and the third most spoken in North America (behind NavajoNavajo language Overview

Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwest United States by the Navajo people....
and Cree). It is spoken by the AnishinaabeAnishinaabe

Anishinaabe or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek is a self-description often used by people belonging to...
g who are the AlgonquinAlgonquin

The Algonquins or Algonkins are an aboriginal North American people speaking Algonquin, an Algonquian language....
, NipissingNipissing First Nation

The Nipissing First Nation consists of first nation people of Ojibway and Algonquin descent who have lived in the Lake Nipis...
, Ojibwa (Chippewa)Ojibwa Overview

The Ojibwa, Aanishanabe or Chippewa are the largest group of Native Americans/First Nations north of Mexico, inc...
, SaulteauxSaulteaux

The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Canada. ...
, MississaugasMississaugas

The Mississaugas are a subtribe of the Ojibwa First Nations people located in Southern Ontario, Canada....
and Odawa (Ottawa)Ottawa (tribe)

The Ottawa, meaning "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people....
. Very closely related to Anishinaabemowin and often included in this group are the Anishinini language and the Potawatomi languagePotawatomi language

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian language and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Ka...
. As their fur trading with the French increased the Ojibwas’ power, the Anishinaabe language became the trade language of the Great LakesGreat Lakes

The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border....
region, and was for hundreds of years an extremely significant presence in the northern United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
.

Classification

Anishinaabemowin, often referred to as the "Ojibwe language" though Ojibwe language proper is just one component language of the Anishinaabemowin, is an Algonquian languageAlgonquian language

Algonquian language may refer to:...
, of the Algic family of languages, and is descended from Proto-AlgonquianProto-Algonquian language

Proto-Algonquian is the name given to the posited proto-language of the languages of the Algonquian family....
. Among its sister languages are BlackfootBlackfoot language

Blackfoot is the name of any of the Algonquian languages spoken by the Blackfoot tribe of Native Americans, who currently li...
, CheyenneCheyenne language

The Cheyenne language is a Native American language spoken in present-day Montana and Oklahoma, USA....
, CreeCree language

Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada, ...
, FoxFox language

Fox is an Algonquian Indian language, spoken by around 1000 Fox, Sauk, and Kickapoo in various locations in the Midwestern U...
, MenomineeFacts About Menominee language

The Menominee language is an Algonquian language spoken on the Menominee Nation lands in Northern Wisconsin in the United St...
, PotawatomiPotawatomi language Summary

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian language and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Ka...
, and ShawneeShawnee language

The Shawnee language is a Central Algonquian language spoken in parts of central and northeastern Oklahoma by only around 20...
. The Algic family contains the Algonquian languages and the so-called "Ritwan" languages, WiyotFacts About Wiyot language

Wiyot is an extinct Algic language, spoken by the Wiyot people of Humboldt Bay, California....
and YurokYurok language

Yurok is a moribund Algic language....
. Ojibwe group of languages is frequently referred to as a "Central AlgonquianCentral Algonquian languages

The Central Algonquian languages are commonly grouped together as a subgroup of the larger Algonquian family, itself a membe...
" language; however, Central Algonquian is an areal grouping rather than a genetic one. Among Algonquian languages, only the Eastern Algonquian languagesEastern Algonquian languages

The Eastern Algonquian languages are a subgroup of the larger Algonquian family, itself a member of the Algic family; prior ...
constitute a true genetic subgroup. This article deals primarily with the Southwestern Ojibwe dialect spoken in the northern United States, around MinnesotaMinnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States....
and WisconsinWisconsin

Wisconsin is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest....
. 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

The Anishinaabe language is spoken by approximately 70,606 people in North America. Its largest component, the Ojibwe language, which includes the Chippewa languageChippewa language

Chippewa is an Algonquian language spoken from upper Michigan westward to North Dakota in the United States....
, Saulteaux language, Mississauga language and the Ottawa language, is spoken by 14,710 people in the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
and by as many as 39,588 in CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
, making it one of the largest Algic languages by speakers. The various dialects are spoken in northern MontanaMontana

Montana is a state in the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains regions of the United States....
, northern North DakotaNorth Dakota

North Dakota is a Midwestern state in the United States....
, northern MinnesotaMinnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States....
, northern WisconsinWisconsin

Wisconsin is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest....
and MichiganMichigan

Michigan is a Midwestern state of the United States, located in the east north central portion of the country....
in the United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
, and north into eastern British ColumbiaBritish Columbia

British Columbia, often referred to as B.C. or BC , is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for it...
, southern AlbertaAlberta

Alberta is one of Canada's provinces....
, southern SaskatchewanSaskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three prairie provinces....
, southern ManitobaManitoba

Manitoba is one of Canada's provinces....
and OntarioOntario

Ontario is the most populous and second-largest in area of Canada's ten provinces....
in CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
. The second largest Anishinaabe language component is Anishinini language, also known as Oji-cree, spoken by as many as 12,600 people in eastern ManitobaManitoba

Manitoba is one of Canada's provinces....
and northern OntarioOntario

Ontario is the most populous and second-largest in area of Canada's ten provinces....
in Canada; it was one of only six indigenous languages in Canada to report an increase in use. Anishinaabe language also includes the Algonquin languageAlgonquin language

Algonquin is an Algonquian language closely related to Ojibwe, although many consider it to be instead a particularly diverg...
, spoken by 2,680 people in northeastern OntarioOntario

Ontario is the most populous and second-largest in area of Canada's ten provinces....
and west-central QuebecQuebec

Quebec, or Qubec in French, In 1898, the Canadian Parliament passed the first Quebec Boundary Extension Act that expan...
; all languages similar to the Algonquin language are described as being an Algonquian languageAlgonquian language

Algonquian language may refer to:...
. One of the smaller component of the Anishinaabe language is the Potawatomi languagePotawatomi language

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian language and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Ka...
, spoken by approximately 1,000 people in Ontario, northeastern Wisconsin, Michigan, northern IndianaIndiana

Indiana, meaning the "Land of the Indians," is a state in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States....
, northeastern KansasKansas

Kansas is a Midwestern state in the Central United States....
and OklahomaOklahoma

Name = Oklahoma | Fullname = State of Oklahoma |...
.

Lanugage	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	998¹	1,028	25,000
Total (by Country)	63,898	15,708	70,606	322,311

¹ Of the 998 recorded speakers in the United States, only 50 are first-language speakers.

Lingua franca

As fur trading with the French increased the Ojibwas’ power, the Anishinaabe language became the trade language of the Great LakesGreat Lakes

The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes in North America on or near the Canada-United States border....
region, and was for hundreds of years an extremely significant presence in the northern United StatesUnited States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
and across all of CanadaCanada

Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America....
.

The Anishinaabe language replaced the Wyandot languageFacts About Wyandot language

Wyandot is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot, Wendat, or Huron....
as the lingua francaLingua franca

A lingua franca is any language widely used beyond the population of its native speakers....
of the Great Lakes region sometime during the middle of 17th century and remained as a lingua franca in the region until replaced by EnglishEnglish language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England but is now the primary language in numerous countries....
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 RiverOhio River

The Ohio River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River....
valley in the south to James BayJames Bay

James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada....
in the north and from Ottawa RiverOttawa River

The Ottawa River defines for most of its length the border between the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec....
in the east to the Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America....
in the west. Due to the status being the lingua franca, the Anishinaabe language greatly influenced other Algonquian languagesAlgonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic lang...
, such as the Menomini language, as well as spurring the creation of a pidgin language known as "Broken Ojibwa".

Dialects

The Anishinaabe language has quite a few divergent dialects. The primary ones are Nipissing and AlgonquinAlgonquin language

Algonquin is an Algonquian language closely related to Ojibwe, although many consider it to be instead a particularly diverg...
, Plains Ojibwe, Eastern Ojibwe, Northern Ojibwe (Northwestern Ojibwa/Ontario Saulteaux), OdaawaaOdawa language

The Odawa language is a dialect of Anishinaabemowin spoken by the Odawa/Ottawa peoples....
(Ottawa), Severn Ojibwe, and Southwestern Ojibwe (Chippewa). Though now considered a separate language, due to relatively recent diversion from the Anishinaabe language, the Potawatomi languagePotawatomi language

Potawatomi is a Central Algonquian language and is spoken around the Great Lakes in Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as in Ka...
still exhibit strong characteristics to the Anishinaabe language. During the Fur TradeFur trade

The fur trade is a worldwide industry involving capturing of animals for their fur....
, a pidginPidgin

A pidgin, or contact language, is the name given to any language created, usually spontaneously, out of a mixture of o...
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 languageBungee language

Bungee was spoken in western Canada by Mtis descended from Scottish and Cree voyageurs....
, a mixed language, is a mixture of the Anishinaabe language with other languages, or a mixture of a Cree languageCree language

Cree is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 50,000 speakers across Canada, ...
with other languages.

Phonology

Ojibwe group of languages generally have 18 consonants. ObstruentObstruent

In phonetics, articulation may be divided into two large classes, obstruents and sonorants....
s are often said to have a lenis/fortisFortis and lenis

Fortis and lenis are linguistic terms....
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 vowelVowel length

, [[Hawaiian lan...
s, , 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 vowelNasal vowel

A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through the mouth and the no...
s, 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

Like many Native American languages, the Anishinaabe language is polysynthetic, meaning it exhibits a great deal of synthesisSynthetic language

A synthetic language, in linguistic typology, is a language with a high morpheme-per-word ratio....
and a very high morphemeMorpheme

In morpheme-based morphology, a morpheme is the smallest lingual unit that carries a semantic interpretation....
-to-word ratio. It is agglutinatingAgglutinative language

An agglutinative language is a language in which the words are formed by joining morphemes together....
, 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 personGrammatical person Summary

Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to the participant role of a referent, such as the speaker, the add...
, 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, animateAnimacy Summary

Animacy is a grammatical category, usually of nouns, which influences the form a verb takes when it is associated with that ...
or inanimateAnimacy Overview

Animacy is a grammatical category, usually of nouns, which influences the form a verb takes when it is associated with that ...
. Separate personal pronounPronoun

In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun phrase....
s exist, but are usually used for emphasis; they distinguish inclusive and exclusive first personInclusive and exclusive we

Inclusive we is a pronoun or verb conjugation that indicates the inclusion of the speaker, the addressee, and perhaps other ...
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), 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.

Cases like "battery" and "coffee" also demonstrate the often great difference between the literal meanings of the individual morphemeMorpheme

In morpheme-based morphology, a morpheme is the smallest lingual unit that carries a semantic interpretation....
s in a word, and the overall meaning of the entire word.

Writing system

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. SyllabicsOjibwe writing systems

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
are primarily used in Canada. The newest Roman character-based and most popular writing system is the Double Vowel SystemOjibwe writing systems

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
, 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 SystemOjibwe writing systems

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
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 , and 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 , , , , , , , , , , and .
Examples
This Ojibwemowin example text is taken, with permission, from the first four lines of , a story originally told by Earl Nyholm, on Professor Brian Donovan of Bemidji State University's webpage.
Text
Aabiding gii-ayaawag niizh ikwewag: mindimooyenh, odaanisan bezhig.
Iwidi Chi-achaabaaning akeyaa gii-onjibaawag.
Inashke naa mewinzha gii-aawan, mii eta go imaa sa wiigiwaaming gaa-taawaad igo.
Mii dash iwapii, aabiding igo gii-awi-bagida'waawaad, giigoonyan wii-amwaawaad.

Translation
Once there were two women: an old lady, and one of her daughters.
They were from over there towards IngerFacts About Inger, Minnesota

Inger is an unincorporated community in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States, along the Bowstring River of the Leech Lake...
.
See now, it was long ago; they just lived there in a wigwam.
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 personOjibwe grammar

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
SG singularGrammatical number

In linguistics, the term grammatical number refers to ways of expressing quantity by inflecting words....
PL pluralPlural

Plural is a grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the referent in the real world....
POSS possessivePossessive

Possessive can refer to:* Possessive case...
OBV obviativeGrammatical person

Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to the participant role of a referent, such as the speaker, the add...
LOC locative
EMPH emphatic particleEmphasis

The origin of "emphasis" is from the greek "e?+ fa???µa?" meaning : to accent the appearance, to underline, to put in bold, make...
CONJ conjunctOjibwe grammar

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
order
CONTR contrastive particleContrast (linguistics)

In linguistics and semantics contrast is a relationship between two discourse segments....
DESD desiderativeDesiderative Summary

In linguistics, a desiderative form is one that has the meaning of "wanting to X"....

Well-known speakers of Anishinaabemowin
Andrew BlackbirdAndrew Blackbird

Andrew J. Blackbird was an Ottawa leader and historian. ...
(chief, historian, cultural embassidor)
Jim ClarkJim Clark

Jim Clark OBE was a Scottish Formula One racing driver....
(elder, narrator)
George CopwayGeorge Copway

George Copway was a Mississauga Ojibwa writer, lecturer, and advocate of Native Americans....
(chief, missionary, writer, cultural embassidor)
Basil H. JohnstonBasil H. Johnston

Basil H. Johnston, Anishinaabe writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar, was born on the Parry Island Indian Reserv...
(educator, curator, essayist, cultural embassidor)
Peter Jones (missionary, reverend, chief)
Maude KeggMaude Kegg

Maude Kegg was an Ojibwa writer, folk artist, and cultural interpreter....
(narrator, artist, cultural embassidor)
Howard Kimewon (educator, author)
Raymond Kiogima (elder, author)
Patricia Ningewance Nadeau (educator, author, publisher)
Margaret Noori (educator, writer)
Jim NorthrupJim Northrup (writer)

name = Jim Northrup| image =| caption =...
(writer)
Anton Treuer (educator, writer)

See also
Canadian Aboriginal syllabicsCanadian Aboriginal Syllabics

, [[Swampy Cree language|Swampy Cre...
Algonquian languagesAlgonquian languages

The Algonquian languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic lang...
List of languagesList of languages Overview

This list of languages is alphabetical by English name....
OjibwaOjibwa Overview

The Ojibwa, Aanishanabe or Chippewa are the largest group of Native Americans/First Nations north of Mexico, inc...
AnishinaabeAnishinaabe

Anishinaabe or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek is a self-description often used by people belonging to...
Anishinaabe language dialectsAnishinaabe language dialects

The Anishinaabe language or the Ojibwe group of languages or Anishinaabemowin in Eastern Ojibwe syllabics) h...
Ojibwe phonologyOjibwe phonology Summary

The Anishinaabe language or the Ojibwe group of languages is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great La...
Ojibwe grammarOjibwe grammar

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...
Ojibwe writing systemsOjibwe writing systems

The Ojibwe language is an Algonquian American Indian language spoken throughout the Great Lakes region and westward onto the north...

External links
- hosted at the University of Michigan

— Freeware off-line dictionary, updated with additional entries every 6-10 weeks.

— With data on speaker populations
— Syllabary fonts and keyboard emulators are also available from this site.

(Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre)
— A short story in Ojibwe, originally told by Earl Nyholm, emeritus professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University.

, a story broadcasted on Fresh AirFresh Air

Fresh Air is a radio show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States each weekday....
, a National Public RadioNational Public Radio

National Public Radio is an independent, private, not-for-profit membership organization of public radio stations in the Un...
broadcast show.
(An online journal)