16 Facts About Ojibwe language

1.

The Ojibwe language is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems.

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2.

Algonquian language family of which Ojibwemowin is a member is itself a member of the Algic language family, other Algic languages being Wiyot and Yurok.

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3.

Ojibwe language communities are found in Canada from southwestern Quebec, through Ontario, southern Manitoba and parts of southern Saskatchewan; and in the United States from northern Michigan through northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota, with a number of communities in northern North Dakota and northern Montana.

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4.

The relatively low degrees of mutual intelligibility between some nonadjacent Ojibwe dialects led Rhodes and Todd to suggest that Ojibwe should be analyzed as a linguistic subgroup consisting of several languages.

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5.

Two recent analyses of the relationships between the Ojibwe language dialects are in agreement on the assignment of the strongly differentiated Ottawa dialect to a separate subgroup, and the assignment of Severn Ojibwe language and Algonquin to another subgroup, and differ primarily with respect to the relationships between the less strongly differentiated dialects.

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6.

Several different Ojibwe dialects have functioned as lingua franca or trade languages in the circum-Great Lakes area, particularly in interactions with speakers of other Algonquian languages.

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7.

Documentation of such usage dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but earlier use is likely, with reports as early as 1703 suggesting that Ojibwe language was used by different groups from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to Lake Winnipeg, and from as far south as Ohio to Hudson Bay.

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8.

Similarly, bilingualism in Ojibwe language is still common among Potawatomis who speak Potawatomi.

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9.

Algonquin Ojibwe language is reported as distinguishing fortis and lenis consonants on the basis of voicing, with fortis being voiceless and lenis being voiced.

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10.

The Ojibwe language is polysynthetic, exhibiting characteristics of synthesis and a high morpheme-to-word ratio.

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11.

In northern Ontario and Manitoba, Ojibwe language is most commonly written using the Cree syllabary, a syllabary originally developed by Methodist missionary James Evans around 1840 to write Cree.

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12.

Sample text, from the Southwestern Ojibwe language dialect, is taken, with permission, from the first four lines of Niizh Ikwewag, a story told by Earl Nyholm, on Professor Brian Donovan of Bemidji State University's webpage.

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13.

Ojibwe People's Dictionary is an online language resource created in collaboration with the University of Minnesota.

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14.

Language revitalization through Ojibwe frameworks allows for cultural concepts to be conveyed through language.

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15.

The most effective way of promoting Ojibwe language is being surrounded by the Ojibwe language, especially in a familial setting.

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16.

The use of Ojibwe language connects a community through shared views and supports the well-being of said community.

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