| Algonquin | |
|---|---|
| Anicinâbemowin | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Quebec and intoOntario |
| Ethnicity | Algonquin |
Native speakers | 3,330 (2016 census)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | alq |
| Glottolog | algo1255 |
 Map of Anishinaabe peoples in 1800 | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
| Person | Anicinàpe (Omàmìwininì) |
|---|---|
| People | Anicinàpek (Omàmiwininiwak) |
| Language | Anicinàbemowin (Omàmìwininìmowin) |
Algonquin (also spelledAlgonkin; in Algonquin:Anicinàbemowin orAnishinàbemiwin) is either a distinctAlgonquian language closely related to theOjibwe language or a particularly divergentOjibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongsideFrench and to some extentEnglish, by theAlgonquinFirst Nations ofQuebec andOntario. As of 2006, there were 2,680 Algonquin speakers,[3] 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 beingincorporated into verbs instead of using separate words for prepositions, tense, etc.
Omàmìwininìmowin (Algonquin) is anAlgonquian language, of theAlgic family of languages, and is descended fromProto-Algonquian. It is considered a particularly divergent dialect ofOjibwe by many.[citation needed] But, although the speakers call themselvesOmàmìwininì orAnicinàbe, the Ojibwe call themOdishkwaagamii ('those at the end of the lake'). AmongOmàmìwininì (Algonquins), however, the Nipissing are calledOtickwàgamì (the Algonquin orthography for the OjibweOdishkwaagamii) and their language asOtickwàgamìmowin. The rest of the Omàmìwininìmowin (Algonquin) communities call themselvesOmàmiwininiwak ('down-stream men'), and the languageOmàmiwininìmowin ('speech of the down-stream men').
Other thanOmàmìwininìmowin (Algonquin), languages considered as particularly divergent dialects of theAnishinaabe language includeMississauga (often called "Eastern Ojibwe") andOdawa. ThePotawatomi language was considered a divergent dialect of Anishinaabemowin (the Anishinaabe language) but now is considered a separate language. Culturally,Omàmìwininì (Algonquin) and theMichi Saagiig (Mississaugas) were not part of the Ojibwe–Odawa–Potawatomi alliance known as theCouncil of Three Fires. TheOmàmìwininìwak (Algonquins) maintained stronger cultural ties with theAbenaki,Atikamekw andCree.
Among sister Algonquian languages areBlackfoot,Cheyenne,Cree,Fox,Menominee,Potawatomi, andShawnee. The Algic family contains the Algonquian languages and the so-called "Ritwan" languages,Wiyot andYurok. 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 theEastern Algonquian languages constitute a true genetic subgroup.
The northernOmàmìwininìmowin (Algonquin language) dialect of Anishinabemowin as spoken atWinneway, Quebec (Long Point), andTimiskaming First Nation, Quebec, is a similar dialect to theOji-Cree dialect (Severn/Anishininimowin) of northwestern Ontario, despite being geographically separated by 800 kilometres (500 miles).
There are several dialects ofOmàmìwininìmowin (the Algonquin language), generally grouped broadly asNorthern Algonquin andWestern Algonquin. Speakers atKitigan Zibi consider their language to beSouthern Algonquin, though linguistically it is a dialect ofNipissing Ojibwa which, together withMississauga Ojibwa andOdawa, form theNishnaabemwin (Eastern Ojibwa) group of the Ojibwa dialect continuum.
The consonantphonemes and majorallophones of Algonquin inCuoq spelling, one of several common orthographies, and its common variants are listed below (with IPA notation in brackets):
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiced | b⟨b⟩ | d⟨d⟩ | d͡ʒ⟨dj⟩[a] | ɡ⟨g⟩ | |
| voiceless | p⟨p⟩ | t⟨t⟩ | t͡ʃ⟨tc⟩[b] | k⟨k⟩ | ʔ⟨'⟩ | |
| aspirated | pʰ⟨p⟩ | tʰ⟨t⟩ | kʰ⟨k⟩ | |||
| Fricative | voiced | z⟨z⟩ | ʒ⟨j⟩[c] | |||
| voiceless | s⟨s⟩ | ʃ⟨c⟩[d] | h⟨h⟩ | |||
| Nasal | m⟨m⟩ | n⟨n⟩ | ||||
| Approximant | w⟨w⟩[e] | j⟨i⟩[f] | ||||
In an older orthography still popular in some of the Algonquin communities, known as the Malhiot ([mɛːjot]) spelling, which the above Cuoq spelling was based upon, are listed below (with IPA notation in brackets):
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiced | b ⟨p⟩ p pʰ | d ⟨t⟩ t tʰ | ɡ ⟨ĸ⟩ k kʰ | ||
| voiceless | ʔNONE | |||||
| aspirated | ||||||
| Affricate | voiced | ⟨tc⟩ d͡ʒ t͡ʃ | ||||
| voiceless | ||||||
| Fricative | voiced | ⟨s⟩ z s | ⟨c⟩ ʒ ʃ | |||
| voiceless | ⟨h⟩ h | |||||
| Nasal | ⟨ʍ⟩ m | ⟨ʌ⟩ n | ||||
| Approximant | ⟨ȣ⟩[a] w | ⟨ı⟩ j | ||||
The Algonquin consonantsp,t andk are unaspirated when they are pronounced between two vowels or after anm orn; plain voiceless and voiceless aspirated stops in Algonquin are thusallophones. Sokìjig ('day') is pronounced[kʰiːʒɪɡ], butanokì kìjig ('working day') is pronounced[ʌnokiːkiːʒɪɡ].[4]
| short and long Malhiot | short Cuoq | short IPA | long Cuoq [note 1] | long IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ᴀ | a | [ʌ]~[ɑ] | à (alsoá oraa) | [aː] |
| ɛ | e | [e]~[ɛ] | è (alsoé oree) | [eː] |
| ı | i | [ɪ] | ì (alsoí orii) | [iː] |
| o | o oru | [ʊ]~[ɔ] | ò (alsoó oroo) | [oː]~[uː] |
| Malhiot | Cuoq | IPA | Malhiot | Cuoq | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ᴀȣ | aw | [ɔw] | ᴀı | ai | [aj] |
| ɛȣ | ew | [ew] | ɛı | ei | [ej] |
| ıȣ | iw | [iw] | |||
| oȣ | ow | [ow] |
Algonquin does have nasal vowels, but they are allophonic variants (similar to how in English vowels are sometimes nasalized beforem andn). In Algonquin, vowels automatically become nasal beforend,ndj,ng,nh,nhi,nj ornz. For example,kìgònz ('fish') is pronounced[kiːɡõːz], not[kʰiːɡoːnz].[4]
Word stress in Algonquin is complex but regular. Words are divided intoiambic feet (an iambic foot being a sequence of one "weak" syllable plus one "strong" syllable), counting long vowels (à,è,ì,ò) as a full foot (a foot consisting of a single "strong" syllable). The primary stress is then normally on the strong syllable of the third foot from the end of the word—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 not). The strong syllables of the remaining iambic feet each carry secondary stress, as do any final weak syllables. For example:/ni.ˈbi/,/ˈsiː.ˌbi/,/mi.ˈki.ˌzi/,/ˈnaː.no.ˌmi.da.ˌna/.[4]
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