Atikamekw language

Atikamekw
Atikamekw
atikamekw nehiromowin
Native to	Canada
Region	Quebec
Ethnicity	Atikamekw
Native speakers	6,165 (2016 census)
Language family	Algic Algonquian Central Cree Atikamekw; ; ; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	atj
Glottolog	atik1240
ELP	Attikamek
Linguasphere	62-ADA-c
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Atikamekw (endonym: Atikamekw Nehiromowin, literally "Atikamekw native language") is a variety of the Algonquian language Cree 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.

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). Another way in which Atikamekw is distinctive among dialects of Cree is in having many loanwords from the Anishinaabe language.

Phonology[]

Consonants[]

The consonants of Atikamekw are listed below in the standard orthography and with IPA equivalents in brackets:

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	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]
Trill		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.

Notes[]

^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Aboriginal Mother Tongue (90), Single and Multiple Mother Tongue Responses (3), Aboriginal Identity (9), Registered or Treaty Indian Status (3) and Age (12) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
^ "Cultures et traditions" (in French). Conseil des Atikamekw d'Opitciwan. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

References[]

Béland, Jean-Pierre. 1978. Atikamekw Morphology & Lexicon. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.

External links[]

[1] Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Aboriginal Mother Tongue (90), Single and Multiple Mother Tongue Responses (3), Aboriginal Identity (9), Registered or Treaty Indian Status (3) and Age (12) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-06-09.

[CeT-2] "Cultures et traditions" (in French). Conseil des Atikamekw d'Opitciwan. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

[1]

[2]