Malecite-Passamaquoddy language

Malecite–Passamaquoddy
Spoken in Canada; United States
Region New Brunswick; Maine
Ethnicity Maliseet people, Passamaquoddy people
Native speakers 1,655  (date missing)
Language family
Algic
Language codes
ISO 639-3 pqm
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Malecite–Passamaquoddy (also known as Maliseet–Passamaquoddy) is an endangered Algonquian language spoken by the Maliseet and Passamaquoddy peoples along both sides of the border between Maine in the United States and New Brunswick, Canada. The language consists of two major dialects: Malecite, which is mainly spoken in New Brunswick, and Passamaquoddy, spoken mostly in Maine.[1] In both Canada and the U.S., most speakers are older adults.[2] Only 1500 speakers of both dialects combined remain alive. Many younger people cannot speak the language, in particular, the Passamaquoddy dialect.[1]

Contents

Phonology

Consonants

Bilabial Dental Post-alv. Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p [p] t [t] k [k]
kw [kʷ]
Fricative s [s] h [h]
Affricate c [t͡ʃ]
Nasal m [m] n [n]
Approximant central w [w] y [j]
lateral l [l]

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i [i] i: [iː]
Mid e [e] e: [eː] ǝ [ə] o [o] o: [oː]
Low a [a] a: [aː]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Language (Maliseet-Passamaquoddy Language)". Native-languages.org. http://www.native-languages.org/mali.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  2. ^ Raymond G. Gordon, Jr, ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.

References

External links