User:Jomeara421/Ojib Dialects



The Ojibwe language is spoken in a series of dialects occupying adjacent territories, forming a language complex in which mutual intelligibility between adjacent dialects may be comparatively high but declines between some non-adjacent dialects. Mutual intelligibility between some non-adjacent dialects, notably Ottawa, Severn Ojibwe, and Algonquin, is low enough that they could be considered distinct languages. There is no single dialect that is considered the most prestigious or most prominent, and no standard writing system that covers all dialects. The relative autonomy of the regional dialects of Ojibwe is associated with an absence of linguistic or political unity among Ojibwe-speaking groups.

The general name for the language in Ojibwe is /anɪʃɪnaːpeːmowɪn/, written in one common orthography as Anishinaabemowin and as ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ in 'Eastern' syllabics, with local pronunciation and spelling variants, and in some cases distinctive local names for particular dialects. The dialects of Ojibwe are spoken in Canada from western Québec, through Ontario, Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan, with outlying communities in Alberta and British Columbia, and in the United States from Michigan through Wisconsin and Minnesota, with a number of communities in North Dakota and Montana, as well as migrant groups in Kansas and Oklahoma. The dialects of Ojibwe are divided into distinctive northern and southern groups, with intervening transition dialects that have a mixture of features from the adjacent dialects.

This article lays out the general structure of Ojibwe dialectology, with links to separate articles on each dialect. The Potawatomi language is closely related to Ojibwe; information is at Relationship of Ojibwe and Potawatomi. An Ojibwe pidgin language is discussd at Broken Ogghibbeway, and the use of various dialects of Ojibwe as lingua franca is at Lingua franca. Ojibwe borrowed words are found in Menominee and Michif; for discussion see Ojibwe influence on other languages.

Classification

The subgrouping of Ojibwe dialects based on lexical innovations and mutual intelligibility (rather than morphology or pronunciation). EOj = Eastern Ojibwe; SWOj = Southwestern Ojibwe; COj = Central Ojibwe; NWOj = North(western) Ojibwe.

The recognized dialects of Ojibwe are spoken in the region surrounding the Great Lakes, in Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with other groups of speakers in western Québec in the area along the Québec-Ontario border, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and a few communities in Alberta, North Dakota, Montana, British Columbia, Oklahoma and Kansas. While there is some variation in the classification of Ojibwe dialects, at a minimum the following are recognized, proceeding west to east: Western Ojibwe (Saulteaux), Southwestern Ojibwe (Chippewa), Northwestern Ojibwe, Severn Ojibwe (Oji-Cree), Ottawa (Odawa), Eastern Ojibwe, and Algonquin. Field research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s led to the recognition of several other dialects: (a) Berens Ojibwe along the Berens River in northwestern Ontario, to be distinguished from Northwestern Ojibwe; (b) Border Lakes Ojibwe, in western Ontario in the area bounded by the borders of Ontario, Manitoba, and Minnesota; (c) North of (Lake) Superior; and (d) Nipissing. Some sources recognize a Central Ojibwe dialect, covering approximately the same territory as North of (Lake) Superior and Nipissing. In this article the analysis in which Central Ojibwe is not recognized is accepted.

Two current analyses of the relationships between the Ojibwe dialects are in agreement on the assignment of the strongly differentiated Ottawa dialect to a separate subgroup, and the assignment of Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin to another subgroup, and differ primarily with respect to the relationships between the less strongly differentiated dialects. Rhodes and Todd recognize several different dialectal subgroupings within Ojibwe: (a) Ottawa; (b) Severn and Algonquin; (c) a third subgroup which is further divided into (i) a subgrouping of Northwestern Ojibwe and Saulteaux, and a subgrouping consisting of Eastern Ojibwe and a further subgrouping comprising Southwestern Ojibwe and Central Ojibwe (see figure, this section). Valentine has proposed that Ojibwe dialects are divided into three groups: a northern tier consisting of Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin; a southern tier consisting of "Odawa, Chippewa, Eastern Ojibwe, the Ojibwe of the Border Lakes region between Minnesota and Ontario, and Saulteaux; and third, a transitional zone between these two polar groups, in which there is a mixture of northern and southern features." In this article the classification proposed by Valentine is utilized for the classification and subgrouping of Ojibwe dialects.

The distinction between the northern and southern dialect groupings is argued to "align to some extent with traditional subsistence patterns, in that the southern groups typically harvested maple sugar and wild rice, allowing for population aggregations that promoted such social institutions as medicine societies and totemic clan structures." Similarly, the claim has been made that the northern groups have made most extensive use of northern "waterways that flow into James and Hudson Bays, while southern groups were situated on the Great Lakes, Huron and Superior."

Dialects are distinguished by features of phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. Some dialects, most notably Severn Ojibwe, Algonquin, and Ottawa are characterized by many distinct features; such extensive differentiation is associated with lengthy "periods of isolation from other varieties of Ojibwe". Dialects that are adjacent to strongly differentiated dialects may show a mixture of transitional features.

In some situations there is a mismatch between speakers' self-designations and what is supported by linguistic data. For example, the communities at Golden Lake, Ontario and Maniwaki, Quebec are described by speakers at those locations as members of the Algonquin dialect, although linguistically both are distinct from the clearly Algonquin communities north of those locations, and are assigned to the Nipissing dialect.

The degree of mutually intelligibility between nonadjacent dialects of Ojibwe varies considerably; recent research has helped to show the extent of the distance between Ottawa and the maximally different Severn Ojibwe dialect spoken in northwestern Ontario. Because the dialects of Ojibwe are at least partly mutually intelligible, Ojibwe is usually considered to be a single language with a number of dialects. However, the relatively low degrees of mutual intelligibility between some nonadjacent Ojibwe dialects led to the suggestion that Ojibwe "...could be said to consist of several languages...".

Northern dialects

The Northern dialects of Ojibwe are Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin; they are strongly differentiated from other dialects of Ojibwe. A set of features characterise the northern dialects, and are found to varying degrees in adjacent transition dialects.

Severn Ojibwe

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OJS (Severn Ojibwe)

Main article: Severn Ojibwa language

Severn Ojilbwe, also called Oji-Cree or Northern Ojibwa, and Anihshininiimowin in the language itelf, is spoken in northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. Although there is a significant increment of vocabulary borrowed from several Cree dialects, Severn Ojibwe is a dialect of Ojibwe. Two minor sub-dialects have been identified: Big Trout Lake, and Deer Lake, with Big Trout Lake being further subdivided into a Severn subgroup and a Winisk River subgroup. Severn Ojibwe is primarily written by its speakers using the Cree syllabary.

Algonquin

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: ALQ (Algonquin)

Main article: Algonquin language

The Algonquin dialect of Ojibwe is spoken in communities in western Québec and eastern Ontario. The Algonquin language is spoken along the Ottawa River valley of present day Quebec-Ontario border, centered around Lake Abitibi. Recognized Algonquin communities include: Amos (Pikogan), Cadillac, Grand Lac Victoria, Hunter's Point, Kipawa (Eagle Village), Notre Dame du Nord (Timiskaming), Rapid Lake (Barriere Lake), Rapid Sept, Lac Simon, Québec, Winneway (Long Point). The communities of Grand Lac Victoria (Kitcisakik) on Grand Lac Victoria and Lac Rapide on Cabonga Reservoir are within La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve, a provincial park in Québec.

Algonquin is sometimes referred to as 'Northern Algonquin' to distinguish it from the southern communities at Golden Lake, Ontario and Maniwaki, Ontario which have traditionally been grouped with Algonquin, but are here classified as belonging to the Nipissing dialect.

Although speakers of Ojibwe in the community of Kitigan Zibi (also called River Desert and formerly called Maniwaki) at Maniwaki, Québec self-identify as Algonquin, the language spoken there is Nipissing; Maniwaki speakers were among those who migrated from Oka, Quebec. Similarly, the nineteenth-century missionary Grammaire de la language algonquine ('Grammar of the Algonquin language') describes Nipissing speech.

Algonquin is generally written in a French-based orthography in which the acute accent is used to indicate vowel language and the use of several consonant symbols accords with their general French values.

The Nipissing dialect term omàmìwininì 'downriver people' refers to Algonquin speakers, with the term for the language being omàmìwininìmowin. The general Algonquin self-designation is Anicinàbe or orthographic equivalent Anishinàbe.

There is support for a Western Algonquin subdialect, extending "…inland from Lake Huron and east of Lake Superior…" toward the Ontario-Québec border. Representative communities from this area include Temagami, Ontario and Biscotasing, Ontario.

Southern dialects

The southern dialects are presented east to west.

Ottawa

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OTW (Ottawa)

Main article: Ottawa language

The Ottawa dialect is spoken in southern Ontario and northern Michigan, with main communities on Manitoulin Island, Ontario; at Walpole Island, Ontario; as well as Saugeen and Cape Croker. Ottawa and the neighboring Eastern Ojibwe dialect are characterized by extensive vowel Syncope, which deletes metrically weak short vowels.

The most general term for the Ottawa dialect is Nishnaabemwin, which is also applied to Eastern Ojibwe. The term Daawaamwin '(speaking the) Ottawa language' is also used to refer specifically to Ottawa.

Ottawa is generally written with a version of the Double vowel writing system.

Eastern Ojibwe

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OJG (Eastern Ojibwe)

Main article: Eastern Ojibwa language

The Eastern Ojibwe dialect is spoken east of Georgian Bay, Ontario. The main Eastern Ojibwe communities are Curve Lake, Ontario and Rama, Ontario. Eastern Ojibwe and the neighboring Ottawa dialect are characterized by extensive vowel Syncope, which deletes metrically weak short vowels.

The most general term for the Eastern Ojibwe dialect is Nishnaabemwin, which is also applied to Ottawa. The term Jibwemwin '(speaking the) Ojibwe language' is not restricted to a specific dialect; a recent Eastern Ojibwe dictionary notes that Jibwemwin and Nishnaabemwin are interchangeable.

Eastern Ojibwe is generally written with a version of the Double vowel writing system.

Southwestern Ojibwe

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: CIW (Southwestern Ojibwe ("Chippewa"))

Main article: Chippewa language

Southwestern Ojibwe is spoken in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This dialect is also referred in English as "Chippewa". The general Ojibwe term Anishinaabemowin is applied to this dialect. Southwestern Ojibwe is most generally written using the Double vowel writing system.

Anishinaabe language spread in the United States.

Border Lakes

There is no Ethnologue entry or ISO 639-3 code for this dialect of Ojibwe.

Main article: Border Lakes Ojibwe

Border Lakes Ojibwe is spoken in the Lake of the Woods area of Ontario near the borders of Ontario, Minnesota, and Manitoba. Although communities within the Border Lakes area have been considered part of the Saulteaux dialect, current classification treats Border Lakes as a separate dialect in the Southern tier. Communities identified as Border Lakes include Lac La Croix, Emo (Rainy River First Nation), and Whitefish Bay, all in Ontario.

Saulteaux

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OJW (Plains Ojibwe/Saulteaux ("Western Ojibwe"))

Main article: Western Ojibwa language

Saulteaux Ojibwe (also Western Ojibwe or Plains Ojibwe) is spoken in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, with an outlying group in British Columbia. The language is referred to, as written in the local orthography, Anihšināpēmowin, Nahkawēwin, or Nahkawēmowin (as written in the local system).

The writing system commonly used for Saulteaux incorporates the Americanist phonetic symbols /š/ for /ʃ/ and /č/ for /tʃ/; marks long vowels with the macron; writes lenis consonants with voiceless symbols, and writes fortis consonants with /h/ before a lenis consonant, as in the name for the language, Anihšināpēmowin.

Transition dialects

The transition dialects are listed east to west.

Nipissing communities have sometimes been classified as Eastern Ojibwe, but other research notes that several features distinguish the dialect documented at Gitigan Zibi (Maniwaki) from Eastern Ojibwe material documented from the core Eastern Ojibwe communities of Curve Lake and Rama.

Nipissing

There is no Ethnologue entry or ISO 639-3 code for the Nipissing dialect of Ojibwe.

Main article: Nipissing Ojibwe

The Nipissing dialect of Ojibwe is spoken in the area of Lake Nipissing in Ontario. A representative community in the Nipissing dialect area is Golden Lake, although the language is moribund at that location. Although speakers of Ojibwe in the community of Kitigan Zibi (also called River Desert) at Maniwaki, Québec self-identify as Algonquin, the language spoken there is Nipissing. Maniwaki speakers were among those who migrated from Oka, Quebec. Similarly, the nineteenth-century missionary Grammaire de la language algonquine ('Grammar of the Algonquin language') describes Nipissing speech.

The term odishkwaagamii 'those at the end of the lake' is attributed to Algonquin speakers as a term for Nipissing dialect speakers, with related odishkwaagamiimowin 'Nipissing language'. It is also cited from Ojibwe dialects other than Nipissing or Algonquin with the meaning 'Algonquin Indian', for example from Southwestern Ojibwe; other sources ranging from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries cite the same form from several different Ojibwe dialects, including Ottawa.

Speakers of this dialect generally use a French-based writing system.

North of Superior

There is no Ethnologue entry or ISO 639-3 code for the North of Superior dialect of Ojibwe.

Main article: North of Superior Ojibwe

The North of Superior dialect is spoken on the north shore of Lake Superior in the area to the west and east of Lake Nipigon. Communities include (east to west) Pic Mobert, Pic Heron, Pays Plat, Long Lac, Aroland, Rocky Bay, and Lake Helen, all in Ontario.

Berens River Ojibwe

There is no Ethnologue entry or ISO 639-3 code for the Berens River dialect of Ojibwe.

Main article: Berens River Ojibwe

Berens River Ojibwe is spoken along the Berens River in northern Ontario. Reported communities include Pikangikum and Poplar Hill, both in Ontario.

Northwestern Ojibwe

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OJB (Northwestern Ojibwe)

Main article: Northwestern Ojibwa language

The Northwestern dialect of Ojibwe is spoken approximately from northwest of Lake Nipigon, north of the Lake of the Woods area south of the Berens River to the Manitoba border. Communities identified as Northwestern include (east to west) Amstrong, Osnaburgh House, Cat Lake, Lac Seul, Grassy Narrows, Red Lake and Pikangikam.

Dialect not recognized in this analysis

Central Ojibwe

Ethnologue entry and ISO 639-3 code: OJC (Central Ojibwe)

Main article: Central Ojibwa language

The Central Ojibwe dialect (also known as Central Ojibwe, Ojibway) is recognized in some analyses as a dialect of Ojibwe spoken in Ontario from Lake Nipigon in the west to Lake Nipissing in the east. In the analysis accepted in this article Central Ojibwe is not recognized; it is divided into North of (Lake) Superior and Nipissing.

Language code correspondence table

This article	Ethnologue		Linguasphere		Freelang Ojibwe
Neshnabémwen	pot	Potawatomi	62-ADA-dc	Potawatomi	SO	Potawatomi (non-divergent) & Southern Ojibwe
Bodéwadmimwen	pot-N		62-ADA-dca		SO	Potawatomi (non-divergent)
Bodéwadmimwen	pot-S		62-ADA-dcb			Potawatomi (divergent)
Anishinaabemowin	oji	Ojibwa	62-ADA-d	Ojibwa+Anissinapek	blank
			62-ADA-da	Algonquin-Vehicular	SO	Southern Ojibwe
Anicinàbemowin	alq	Algonquin	62-ADA-db	Anissinapek	AL	Algonkin & Eastern Ojibwe
Omàmiwininìmowin	alq-N	Northern Algonquin (various)	62-ADA-dba		AL	Algonkin
Omàmiwininìmowin	alq-S	Northern Algonquin (various)	62-ADA-dbb		AL	Eastern Ojibwe
Odishkwaagamiimowin	ojg-E	Maniwaki Algonquin	62-ADA-dbc		AL	Eastern Ojibwe
Nishnaabemwin	ojg	Ojibwa, Eastern	62-ADA-de	Ojibwa-Eastern	NE	Manitoulin Ojibwe & North-eastern Ojibwe
Jibwemwin	ojg-C		62-ADA-dea		NE	North-eastern Ojibwe
Jibwemwin	ojg-W		62-ADA-deb		NE	Manitoulin Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Central	ojc	Ojibwa, Central	62-ADA-dec		CN	Central-Northern Ojibwe
Nishnaabemwin	otw	Ottawa	62-ADA-dd	Odawa	SE	Ottawa & South-eastern Ojibwe
Jibwemwin	otw-E		62-ADA-dda		SE	South-eastern Ojibwe
Daawaamwin	otw-W		62-ADA-ddb		SE	Ottawa
Anishinaabemowin	ciw	Chippewa	62-ADA-dg	Ojibwa-Southwestern
Ojibwemowin-Southwestern	ciw-E	Upper Michigan-Wisconsin Chippewa	62-ADA-dga		CS	Central-South or Wisconsin Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Southwestern	ciw-S	Central Minnesota Chippewa	62-ADA-dgb		SW	South-western or Minnesota Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Southwestern	ciw-N	Minnesota Border Chippewa	62-ADA-dgc		CN	Central-Northern Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Southwestern	ciw-W	Red Lake Chippewa	62-ADA-dgd		NW	North-western Ojibwe
Anihšināpēmowin-Nakawēmowin	ojw	Ojibwa, Western	62-ADA-dge		WO	Western Ojibwe
Anishinaabemowin	ojb	Ojibwa, Northwestern	62-ADA-df	Ojibwa-Southern	NW	North-western Ojibwe and Ontario Saulteaux
Ojibwemowin-Northwestern	ojb-NW	Berens River Ojibwa	62-ADA-dfa		NW	Ontario Saulteaux
Ojibwemowin-Northwestern	ojb-SW	Lake of the Woods Ojibwa	62-ADA-dfb		NW	North-western Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Northwestern	ojb-C	Lac Seul Ojibwa	62-ADA-dfd		NW	North-western Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Northwestern	ojb-SE	Rainy River Ojibwa	62-ADA-dfc		CN	Central-Northern Ojibwe
					NO	Oji-Cree & Northern Ojibwe
Ojibwemowin-Northwestern	ojb-NE	Albany River Ojibwa	62-ADA-dfe		NO	Northern Ojibwe
Anishininiimowin	ojs	Ojibwa, Severn	62-ADA-dh	Ojibwa-Northern	NO	Oji-Cree
Anishininiimowin	ojs-E	Severn River Ojibwa	62-ADA-dha	Ojibwa-Northeastern	NO	Oji-Cree
Anishininiimowin	ojs-W	Winisk River Ojibwa	62-ADA-dhb	Ojibwa-Northwestern	NO	Oji-Cree

See also

• Ojibwe language
  • Ojibwe phonology
  • Ojibwe grammar
  • Ojibwe writing systems
• List of Ojibwe ethnonyms
• List of Algonquin ethnonyms
• List of Nipissing ethnonyms
• Potawatomi language
• Michif language
• Bungee language
• Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics
• Ojibwe writing systems

References

• Baraga, Frederic. 1878. A dictionary of the Otchipwe language, explained in English. A new edition, by a missionary of the Oblates. Part I, English-Otchipwe; Part II, Otchipwe-English. Montréal: Beauchemin & Valois. Reprint (in one volume), Minneapolis: Ross and Haines, 1966, 1973.
• Bloomfield, Leonard. 1958. Eastern Ojibwa: Grammatical sketch, texts and word list. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
• Cote, Margaret. 1984. Nahkawēwin: Saulteaux (Ojibway dialect of the Plains). Regina SK: Saskatchewan Indian Federated College.
• Cuoq, Jean André. 1886. Lexique de la langue algonquine. Montréal: J. Chapleau.
• Cuoq, Jean André. 1891. Grammaire de la langue algonquine. Société royale du Canada, Mémoires 9(1): 85-114; 10(1): 41-119.
• Day, Gordon. 1978. "Nipissing." Bruce Trigger, ed., Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15, Northeast, pp. 786-791. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-004575-4
• Day, Gordon and Bruce Trigger. 1978. "Algonquin." Bruce Trigger, ed., Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15, Northeast, pp. 792-797. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-004575-4
• Gilstrap, Roger. 1978. Algonquin dialect relationships in northwestern Quebec. National Museum of Man Mercury Series. Canadian Ethnology Service Paper No. 44. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. ISSN 0316-1862
• Goddard, Ives. 1978. "Central Algonquian Languages." Bruce Trigger, ed., Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 15, Northeast, pp. 583-587. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-004575-4
• Gordon Jr., Raymond. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th edition. Ethnologue entry for Central Ojibwa. Retrieved May 31, 2009. Dallas: SIL International. ISBN 978-1-55671-159-6
• McGregor, Ernest. 1987. Algonquin lexicon. Maniwaki, QC: River Desert Education Authority.
• Nichols, John. 1980. Ojibwe morphology. PhD dissertation, Harvard University.
• Nichols, John. 1996. "The Cree syllabary." Peter Daniels and William Bright, eds. The world’s writing systems, 599-611. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507993-0
• Nichols, John and Earl Nyholm. 1995. A concise dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. St. Paul: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-2427-5
• O'Meara, John. 1993. Review of Ernest McGregor, 1987, 'Algonquin Lexicon.' International Journal of American Linguistics 59(1): 108-113.
• Rhodes, Richard. 1976. "A preliminary report on the dialects of Eastern Ojibwa-Odawa." W. Cowan, ed., Papers of the seventh Algonquian conference, 129-156. Ottawa: Carleton University.
• Rhodes, Richard A. 1985. Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-013749-6
• Rhodes, Richard and Evelyn Todd. 1981. "Subarctic Algonquian languages." June Helm, ed., The Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 6. Subarctic, pp. 52-66. Washington, D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-004578-9
• Snache, Irene. 2005. Rama First Nation Ojibwe language dictionary. Rama, ON: Mnjikaning Kendaaswin Publishers. ISBN 1-894632-01-X
• Valentine, J. Randolph. 1994. Ojibwe dialect relationships. PhD dissertation, University of Texas, Austin.
• Valentine, J. Randolph. 2001. Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-4870-6

Further reading

• Cappel, Constance, ed. (2006). Odawa Language and Legends: Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima. Philadelphia: Xlibris.

External links

• Ojibwe Language Society
• Rand Valentine's introduction to Ojibwe
• Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary — Freeware off-line dictionary, updated with additional entries every 6-10 weeks.
• Language Museum report for Ojibwe
• Aboriginal Languages of Canada — With data on speaker populations
• Language Geek Page on Ojibwe — Syllabary fonts and keyboard emulators are also available from this site.
• Our Languages: Nakawē (Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre)
• Ethnologue report for Ojibwe
• The Linguasphere Register. 1999 / 2000 edition. Algic sector.