| Nativename | atikamekw nehiromowin |
|---|---|
| States | Canada |
| Region | Quebec |
| Ethnicity | Atikamekw |
| Date | 2016 census |
| Ref | e25 |
| Familycolor | Algic |
| Fam 1 | Algic |
| Fam 2 | Algonquian |
| Fam 3 | Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi[1] |
| Iso 3 | atj |
| Glotto | atik1240 |
| Glottorefname | Atikamekw |
| Lingua | 62-ADA-c |
| Notice | IPA |
| Root | atikamekw / nehirowisiw "lake whitefish" / "Indigenous person" |
|---|---|
| Person | Atikamekw Nehirowisiw |
| People | Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok |
| Language | Atikamekw Nehiromowin |
| Country | Nitaskinan (Nehirowisi Aski) |
Atikamekw (endonym: Atikamekw Nehiromowin, literally "Atikamekw native language") is a variety of the Algonquian language Cree[citation needed] and the language of the Atikamekw people of southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is spoken by nearly all the Atikamekw, and therefore it is among the indigenous languages least threatened with extinction, according to some studies.[2]
Atikamekw is a language belonging to the Cree–Montagnais–Naskapi linguistic continuum, which is part of the Central branch of the Algonquian languages of the Algic family of languages. It is sometimes classified as a dialect of Cree.[citation needed]
The Atikamekw reflex of Proto-Algonquian liquid ("L" sound) *l is ɾ (spelled 'r'). The corresponding sound in other Cree dialects is n, j, l, or ð (it is consistently one of these depending on the dialect). So, alternatively, it is also referred to as the "r-Dialect of Cree".[citation needed] Another way in which Atikamekw is distinctive among dialects of Cree is in having many loanwords from the Anishinaabe language.[citation needed]
Phonology
Consonants
The consonants of Atikamekw are listed below in the standard orthography and with IPA equivalents in brackets:
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m m | n n | |||
| Stop | p p | t t | tc (c) t͡ʃ | k k | |
| Fricative | s s | c (s̀) ʃ | h h | ||
| Tap | r ɾ | ||||
| Approximant | w w | i (y) j |
In Atikamekw, fortis and lenis consonants are not distinguished in writing, even though they are in speech. But if precise spelling is required, fortis consonant realised as a geminate is indicated with an underline on the letter of concern.
Vowels
The vowels of Atikamekw are listed below:
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| long | short | long | short | |
| Close | î iː | i i | ||
| Mid | e eː | ô oː | o o | |
| Open | â aː | a a | ||
- Vowel length (shown above with a circumflex accent) is typically not indicated in the written language.
See also
Notes
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2022-05-24). "Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi". Glottolog. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Archived 2022-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
- ^ "Cultures et traditions" (in French). Conseil des Atikamekw d'Opitciwan. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ Béland 1978, p. 8.
References
- Béland, Jean-Pierre (1978). Atikamekw Morphology & Lexicon (Ph.D.). Berkeley: University of California.