Interesting Things To Know About The Ojibwe Language

By Ryan Harris


Located somewhere in Ontario up until the US border in Montana is the former home of the Ojibwe, an indigenous race with a rich history. They were known for their dialect known as the Ojibwe language and is actually one of the rarest languages one can find in the state because no one in this generation really uses it anymore. If one is interested in this ancient dialect, then here are something that one may find interesting.

These people were also known as the Ojibway or the Anishinaabemowin and they encompassed a couple of tribes in the area. They lived near the Great Lake somewhere in between Canada and the US. Today, that area is known as the border between Canada and the United States of America. Also, the dialect they are speaking is the Central Algonquian dialect making it one of the main languages to their community.

While it was previously used by many, it is now one of the most endangered languages in the state of Minnesota. In fact, UNESCO adds it to the Atlas of Worlds Languages in Danger list as they quote that it is only now spoken by the grandparents generation. Parents may understand it but they hardly practice it anymore and do not speak it to their children or their own grandchildren.

However, many groups have been trying to revive the language, opening up schools around Minnesota and even in Michigan. These schools aim to teach the dialect aiming for some people, especially of Ojibway heritage, to learn it as a second language. This is why the Ojibway Peoples Dictionary was created, but this is all part of a bigger picture for the future and growth of this culture.

Now, to know about the dialect a bit, one has to know what kind of alphabet it uses. It makes use of what is known as a double vowel system wherein two letters combine with each other to act as a single sound. It is also pretty interesting to know that there is an apostrophe somewhere in the alphabet which is symbolizing of a sort of stop.

The alphabet consists of twenty four letters with a few of them not being found in the English language. To give one an idea, the letters that one can find in this alphabet are the regular letters of the alphabet and letters with the two consonants making a different sound compared to the single vowels. There is also the an aa, ee, oo, and ii which are part of the double vowel system.

There are also the nasal vowels in the alphabet. These include the aanh, oonh, eenh and the iinh. These, as the name implies, are nasal vowels that give off a nasal sound when one pronounces them.

So for those who are interested in learning or just simply knowing about this dialect, here are a few things that one may want to know. This dialect, although to the brink of extinction, is slowly being revived already. So it is not surprising if there are some schools teaching it.




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