Algonquin language

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For the larger language family of which Algonquin is but one member, see Algonquian.
Algonquin
ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ Anicinâbemowin
Spoken in: Canada 
Region: Quebec and into Ontario.
Total speakers: 2,275 (1998 Statistics Canada)
Language family: Algic
 Algonquian
  Ojibwe
   Algonquin
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: alg
ISO 639-3: alq
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-​based pronunciation key.

Algonquin (or Algonkin) is an Algonquian language closely related to Ojibwe, although many consider it to be instead a particularly divergent dialect of Ojibwe. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario. As of 1998, there were 2,275 Algonquin speakers, less than 10% of whom were monolingual. Algonquin is the language for which the entire Algonquian language subgroup is named. The similarity among the names often causes considerable confusion. Like many Native American languages, it is strongly verb based, with most meaning being inflected into verbs instead of using separate words for prepositions, tense, etc.

Contents

[edit] Classification

Algonquin is an Algonquian language, of the Algic family of languages, and is descended from Proto-Algonquian. It is considered a particularly divergent dialect of Ojibwe by many, acting as a transitional language between the Ojibwe languages and the Abenaki languages. However, though the speakers call themselves "Anicinâbe" like the Ojibwe, the speakers of this language are not identified as Ojibwe and are called Odishkwaagamii (those at the end of the lake) by the Ojibwe. Other languages considered particularly divergent dialects of Ojibwe include Mississauga (often called "Eastern Ojibwe") and Odawa. In addition, the Algonquin and the Mississaugas were not part of the Ojibwe-Odawa-Potawatomi alliance known as the Council of Three Fires. Among her 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 and its similar languages are 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.

[edit] Dialects

There are several dialects of Algonquin. The single southern dialect, Miniwaki, is considerably different from the several northern dialects.

[edit] Phonology

[edit] Consonants

The consonants of Algonquin in the standard orthography are listed below (with IPA notation in brackets):

  Bilabial Alveolar Postalveolar Velar Glottal
Stop voiced   b  [b]   d  [d]     g  [g]  
voiceless   p  [p]   t  [t]     k  [k]  
vls. aspirated   p  [pʰ]   t  [tʰ]     k  [kʰ]   ʔ  [ʔ]
Affricate voiced       dj  [dʒ]    
voiceless       ch  [tʃ]    
Fricative voiced     z  [z]   j  [ʒ]    
voiceless     s  [s]   sh  [ʃ]     h  [h]
Nasal     m  [m]   n  [n]      
Approximant     w  [w]   y  [j]      

[edit] Aspiration and Allophony

The Algonquin consonants p, t and k are unaspirated when they are pronounced between two vowels or after an m or n. So kìjig (day) is pronounced [kʰiːʒɪg], but anokì kìjig (working day) is pronounced [ʌnokiː kiːʒɪg]. Aspirated and unaspirated voiceless stops are allophones in Algonquin, unlike some other Native American languages like Lakota. [h] can be prounounced as either [h] or [ʔ].

[edit] Vowels

  • short
    • a [ʌ]
    • e [e] or [ɛ]
    • i [ɪ]
    • o or u [ʊ]
  • long
    • à (also á or aa) [aː]
    • è (also é or ee) [eː]
    • ì (also í or ii) [iː]
    • ò (also ó or oo) [oː]

[edit] Diphthongs

  • aw [aw]
  • ay [aj]
  • ew [ew]
  • ey [ej]
  • iw [iw]
  • ow [ow]

[edit] Nasal Vowels

Algonquin does have nasal vowels, but they are allophonic variants (similar to how in English we nasalize vowels before m and n). In Algonquin, vowels automatically become nasal before nd, ng, nj or nz. For example, kìgònz is pronounced [kʰiːɡõːz], not [kʰiːɡoːnz].

[edit] Stress

Word stress in Algonquin is regular, but it's very complicated. If you divide each word into iambic feet, counting long vowels (à, è, ì, ò) as an entire foot, then the stress is usually on the strong syllable of the third from last foot--which, in words that are five syllables long or less, usually translates in practical terms to the first syllable (if it has a long vowel) or the second syllable (if it doesn't.) Then the strong syllables of the other feet each have a secondary stress. For example: ni-ˡbi, ˡsì-ˈbi, mi-ˡki-ˈzi, ˡnà-no-ˈmi-da-ˈna.

[edit] Algonquin names for animals

[edit] External links

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