Ojibwe language

Spoken in

  • Algonquian languages Central Algonquian languages Ojibwe

Oj

Oji

Oji ( macro language )

The language of the Ojibwe or Anishinaabe ( Anishinaabemowin ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ ) belongs to the Algonquian language family and is spoken by around 80,000 people in several regional variants in large parts of Canada and the northern United States.

  • 6.1 wording on Ojibwe
  • 6.2 German translation
  • 6.3 Interlinear

Dissemination

Ojibwe is spoken in Canada in southwestern Québec, in Ontario, in southern Manitoba and parts of southern Saskatchewan, in the United States in northern Michigan, northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota, in smaller groups in the northern North Dakota and northern Montana.

According to the Canadian Bureau of Statistics the number of speakers of Oji - Cree took from 1996 to 2001 from 5,480 to 5,610 persons, ie by 2.4%, while that of the summarized as Ojibway variants by 6 % ( and the Cree to 3 1%) declined.

Using Census data from the United States in 2000 and Canada in 2006 to get even 56 531 speakers of all variants, including 8,791 in the U.S. ( which in turn 7,355 Native Americans ), and 47 740 in Canada.

Regional variations ( dialects )

Ojibwe is a dialect continuum at which the variants Western Ojibwe ( Saulteaux ), Southwest Ojibwe ( Chippewa ), Northwest Ojibwe, Severn Ojibwe ( Oji - Cree ), Ottawa ( Odawa ), Eastern Ojibwe and Algonquin ( in the narrow sense ) belong.

Phonology

Consonants

Characteristic of many Ojibwa dialects is the occurrence of the voiced consonants b, d, g, j ( dž ), z, zh ( ž ), where in other Algonquian languages ​​the voiceless p, t, k, ch ( č ), s, sh ( š ) are. Taken together in the various Ojibwe dialects following consonants occur:

Vowels

All Ojibwe dialects have seven vowels, to which must be added nasalized counterparts.

Of the seven simple vowels are three short and four long:

There are four long nasal vowels:

The long nasal vowels are iinh [ ĩ ː ] enh [e ː ], aanh [ã ː ] and oonh [ õ ː ] written. The letter combination nh expresses here is that the previous vowel is nasalized. Most commonly, these nasal vowels occur at the end of diminutive nouns. Word examples from the south- Ojibwe are:- iijikiwenh " brother ", noshenh " father's sister " - oozhishenh " grandson ", bineshiinh " bird", asabikeshiinh "spider" awesiinh " wild animal ".

Font

In the United States, but also most parts of Canada Ojibwe is now usually written with Latin letters, with mostly the system by Charles Fiero is preferred to be expressed in the long vowel by doubling the letter. In northern Ontario and Manitoba Cree font is still common, a syllabic script that was developed by the Methodist missionary James Evans 1840-1846 in collaboration with the indigenous Cree and Ojibwe in Norway House on Hudson Bay.

Ojibwa literature

As with many indigenous languages ​​of North America form translations of parts of the Bible, much of the text corpus of the Ojibwe language. The New Testament has been translated three times, once in 1833 by Edwin James, a second time in 1844 by Henry Blatchford ( new editions in 1856 and 1875 ) and finally in 1854 by Frederick O'Meara (new edition 1874). O'Meara also translated the Psalms ( 1856) and the Torah (1861 ), while Robert McDonald 1874, the twelve minor prophets translated. A translation of half of the Old Testament, including a revision of the New Testament by Jim Keesic in collaboration with Bob Bryce and Henry Hostetler was published by the Canadian Bible Society in August 2008.

In Odawa dialect there is a translation of the Gospels of Matthew and John by Jonathan Meeker of 1841-44 and translation of Genesis by P. Jones of 1835.

Primary Ojibwe literature there is little. Born in 1970, lives in Minnesota U.S. writer David spreaders, from the four English novels have come out, putting together a first "practical" grammar plans in this language, his mother tongue. He also makes audio recordings of stories on Ojibwe in speakers in his home region, where the language is usually spoken only by elders.

Example text: Two women who went fishing

Ojibwe shares its linguistic structure and the complex grammatical structures with the other Algonquian languages ​​(see there: grammar).

An example text from the cultural context of the Ojibwe can give an impression of it. This text of the Bemidji State University - Niizh Ikwewag ( Two Women) - is recorded in the south-western Ojibwe dialect and comes from Minnesota (USA).

Wording on Ojibwe

German translation

Interlinear

Abbreviations:

Vocabulary

  • Ikwe = woman
  • Inini = man
  • Ikwezens = girl
  • Gwiiwizens = boy
  • Mitig = tree
  • Miskwi = blood
  • Doodooshaaboo = milk
  • Doodoosh = chest
  • Giigoonh = fish
  • Miskwimin = Raspberry
  • Gookookoo'oo = owl
  • Bemaadizid = person
  • Makizin = Shoe
  • Wiigiwaam = house
  • Manoomin = wild rice
  • Onjibaa = he / she comes
  • Izhaa = he / she goes
  • Wiisini = he / she eats
  • Minikwe = he / she drinks
Labial consonant Alveolar consonant Palatal consonant Velar consonant Glottal consonant Fricative consonant Approximant consonant Front vowel Close vowel Open vowel Cree syllabics Syllabary James Evans (linguist) Norway House, Manitoba Book of Genesis Locative case Desiderative mood Squaw Moccasin
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