Ojibwa-Ottawa language

Infobox Language
name=Ojibwa-Ottawa language
nativename=ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ "Anishinaabemowin"
pronunciation=/ənɪʃʰɪnaːpeːmowɪn/ or /ənɪʰʃɪnaːpeːmowɪn/
states=Flag|Canada,
Flag|United States
region=western Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and into Saskatchewan, with outlying groups as far west as British Columbia; in the United States, from Michigan westward to Montana
speakers=70,606 (Ojibwe: 32,460, Oji-Cree: 12,600 and Algonquin: 2,680, Ottawa: 7,128 in Canada; Ojibwe: 13,838, Ottawa: 872 in the United States)
familycolor=American
fam1=Algic
fam2=Algonquian
fam3=Central Algonquian
fam4=Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa
script=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.
iso1=oj
iso2=oji

lc1=alq|ld1=Algonquin|ll1=Algonquin language
lc2=oji|ld2=Ojibwa (generic)|ll2=none
lc3=ojs|ld3=Severn Ojibwa|ll3=Oji-Cree language
lc4=ojg|ld4=Eastern Ojibwa|ll4=Eastern Ojibwa language
lc5=ojc|ld5=Central Ojibwa|ll5=Central Ojibwa language
lc6=ojb|ld6=Northwestern Ojibwa|ll6=Northwestern Ojibwa language
lc7=ojw|ld7=Western Ojibwa|ll7=Western Ojibwa language
lc8=ciw|ld8=Chippewa|ll8=Chippewa language
lc9=otw|ld9=Ottawa|ll9=Ottawa language



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 Ojibwa-Ottawa language (often called the Anishinaabe language or "Anishinaabemowin", unicode|ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ in Eastern Algonquian syllabics or as Ojibwa language or "Ojibwemowin") is the second most commonly spoken First Nations language in Canada (after Cree), [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89189&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=705&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=837928 Statistics Canada 2006] ] 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 "Anishinaabe" peoples, and speakers of the Anishinini language (or Oji-Cree language, Severn Ojibwa language or "Anishininiimowin"). 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

The Ojibwa-Ottawa language is divided into two major groups—the Algonquin language ("Omàmiwininìmowin") and the Ojibwa languages, which includes the Ojibwa language (Ojibwe language, Chippewa language or "Ojibwemowin"), Oji-Cree language (Severn Ojibwa language, Anishinini language or "Anishininiimowin") and the Ottawa language (Odawa language or "Odaawaamowin"). A member of the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language, the Ojibwa-Ottawa language 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. The Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language 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 Ojibwa-Ottawa language, unless an example is specifically given here. Otherwise, for specific detail on an individual language belonging to the Ojibwa-Ottawa language, please see the individual language's article.

Geographic distribution

The Ojibwa-Ottawa language is spoken by approximately 69,578 people in North America.

Of the Ojibwa-Ottawa language, the Ojibwa language (also known as "Ojibwemowin"), which includes the Chippewa language (Southwestern Ojibwa), Western Ojibwa language (Saulteaux language or Plains Ojibwa language), Northwestern Ojibwa language, Central Ojibwa language, Mississauga language (Eastern Ojibwa language) and the Ottawa language, is spoken by 14,710 people in the United Stateshttp://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.] and by as many as 39,588 in Canada, 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 Ojibwa-Ottawa language component is the Severn Ojibwa language also known as the Oji-Cree language, Northern Ojibwa language, Anishinini language or "Anishininiimowin", spoken by as many as 12,600 people in eastern Manitoba and northern Ontario in Canada; it was one of only six indigenous languages in Canada to report an increase in use. The Ojibwa-Ottawa language also includes the Algonquin language, spoken by 2,680 people in northeastern Ontario and west-central Quebec; all languages similar to the Algonquin language are described as being an Algonquian language.

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

The Ojibwa-Ottawa 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). During the Fur Trade, a pidgin form of the Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language, 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 Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language with other languages, or a mixture of a Cree language with other languages.

Phonology

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

With regards to stress, the Ojibwa-Ottawa 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 the larger Ojibwa-Potawatomi-Ottawa language, the Ojibwa-Ottawa 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.

ee also

*Canadian Aboriginal syllabics
*Algonquian languages
*List of languages
*Ojibwa
*Anishinaabe
*Anishinaabe language dialects
*Ojibwe phonology
*Ojibwe grammar
*Ojibwe writing systems

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

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

External links

* [http://www.ojibwe.net/ Noongwa e-Anishinaabemjig: People Who Speak Anishinaabemowin Today] - hosted at the University of Michigan
* [http://www.ojibwemowin.com/ Ojibwe Language Society]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ojibwelanguagesocietymiinawaa/ Ojibwe Language Group]
* [http://imp.lss.wisc.edu/~jrvalent/ais301/index.html Rand Valentine's introduction to Ojibwe]
* [http://weshki.googlepages.com/index.html Grammar, lessons, and dictionaries]
* [http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/ojibwe.html Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary] — Freeware off-line dictionary, updated with additional entries every 6-10 weeks.
* [http://www.language-museum.com/o/ojibwa.htm Language Museum report for Ojibwe]
* [http://www.fp.ucalgary.ca/howed/abor_lang.htm Aboriginal Languages of Canada] — With data on speaker populations
* [http://www.languagegeek.com/algon/ojibway/anishinaabemowin.html Language Geek Page on Ojibwe] — Syllabary fonts and keyboard emulators are also available from this site.
* [http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/english/donovan/placenames.html Ojibwe Toponyms]
* [http://www.sicc.sk.ca/heritage/sils/ourlanguages/saulteaux/saulteaux.html Our Languages: Nakawē] (Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre)
* [http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/english/donovan/Two_Women.html Niizh Ikwewag] — A short story in Ojibwe, originally told by Earl Nyholm, emeritus professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University.
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91082 Ethnologue report for Ojibwe]
* [http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/curricul/ojibwe.pdf Native Languages: A Support Document for the Teaching of Language Patterns, Ojibwe and Cree]
* [http://www.native-languages.org/ojibwe.htm Native Languages page for Ojibwe]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89851668 Letter Men: Brothers Fight for Ojibwe Language] , a story broadcasted on Fresh Air, a National Public Radio broadcast show.
* [http://www.bemaadizing.org/ Bemaadizing: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Indigenous Life] (An online journal)