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Telephone 1-705-356-1621 Ext 2300
Fax 1-705-356-1742 Email dwtrudeau@mississaugi.com |
The original spoken language of the Mississauga First Nation community is in a critical state of erosion. If action is not taken immediately Anishinaabemowin will be lost forever to the children and the adults of Mississauga First Nation. The re-learning of Anishinaabemowin will develop confidence, language fluency, revitalization of culture, and a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment for Mississauga First Nation Community and citizens. It is vitally important to not only preserve Anishinaabemowin but promote the everyday usage by all citizens.
VOCABULARY LESSONS
RESOURcES
The following is a resource for individual study for when you are reading anishinaabemowin in the written form. These guidelines can help you sound them out.
Sounds
Although it may look somewhat intimidating, it is merely a chart of the sounds we make when we speak Anishinaabemowin.
Sound of the Vowels “aa” & “a”
In much the same way as the language is predominately based on Verbs, the sounds that we make are important to get to the way we sound, that is: ”e niweying”.
“aa”
Let’s start with the “aa”. The “a” in father, guitar or art is one sound to mimic.
The “o” in lock or rotten or the “aw” sound in fawn are others that we use as examples of the sound we expect to hear when we use the vowels “aa” .
Some anishinaabemowin that have the “aa” sound are Aankwat, cloud, Naanan, five, maang, loon, niigaan, front, gegaa, almost, naame, under, myaa, exactly, baamaa or naagach, later, ziitaagan, salt to mention just a few.
“a”
The “u” in rudder and duck; the “ou” in rough and tough, the “a” and the “u” in the word adjust and the second “o” in colony are good examples of this sound.
Some anishinaabemowin that have the “a” sound are pane, always, kina, all, naanan, five, gashi, mother, makazin, shoe, dinmaangan, shoulder, pabwin, chair, gimiwan, it is raining, aki, earth, and amik, beaver.
Sounds of the Vowels "ii" & "i"
“ii”
The “e” in even and behind, the “ie” in relief, the “ee” in sneeze and the “ea” in beard are all examples of the sound the “ii” represents.
Some words that contain these sounds are: miigwech, thank you, giizis, sun, miiknoot, pants, wiikwaan, hat,niiwin, four, miinjisan, hair, shkiinzhik, eye, wiibit, tooth, jiibaakwe, to cook, ziitaagan, salt and niibiish, leaf.
“I”
Probably one of the more familiar sounds from English to Anishinaabemowin is the “I”, for example kill, lily, whisper, fish and bird are all examples of this sound.
We will hear this sound in words like amik, beaver, pichi, robin, mishoomis. Grandfather, nookmis, grandmother, zit, foot, shkiinzhik, eye, wiibit, tooth, doopwin, table, pabwin, chair, and noodin, wind.
Sounds of the vowels “oo” and “o”
“oo”
Again, a sound that is close or familiar, the “oo” sound is like the “o” in vote or go, elope and low.
The sound is found in words like, zookpo, it is snowing, noos, father, miiknoot, pants, goodaas, dress, dooskan, elbow, noogan, hip, doon, mouth, doopwin, table, noodin, wind, doodooshaaboo, milk and finally gookoosh, pig.
“o”
This is the most difficult sound because it is close to the “a”, it is like the “oo” in moon or food, or like the “ue” in true.
Example of this are found in ngoding, once, zigos, aunt, kon, bone, nowe, cheek, zookpo, it is snowing, animosh, dog, ziipagot, sour, wiisgipigot, bitter, bmose, to walk, gindaaso, to count.
Sounds of the vowel “e”
“e”
One of the most numerous sounds in our language is exemplified by the “e”. The “e” in beg, the “ea” in bear, and the “ae” in aerial.
We find these in esban, raccoon, gegaa, almost, pane, always, gegpii, finally, eshkam, gradually more, ikwe, woman, dengwe, face, shkwaandem, door, waaskonenjigan, light, gzaate, it is hot, bmide, lard or grease, and naabese, rooster.
Although it may look somewhat intimidating, it is merely a chart of the sounds we make when we speak Anishinaabemowin.
- There are seven vowels sounds, four long and three short, and sixteen consonants. We do not use the “f”, “l”, “q”, “r”, “x” and “u”.
- When voicing the sounds we make when we speak our language, we usually combine a consonant with a vowel, so the chart gives us a guide for the majority sounds we will need to make words.
- Let’s start with the vowels: the “aa” is a long vowel and the sound we hear when we make this sound is like the “a” in father or the “o” in lock.
- The “a” is a short vowel and sounds like the “u” in rudder, the “ou” in rough or second “o” in colony.
- The sound we listen for with the long “ii” is similar to the “e” in even, “ie” in relief, or the “ee” in sneeze.
- The single short “I” is probably the same in English and Anishinaabemowin. The sound is like the “I” in lily, kill, or fish.
- The long vowel “oo” sounds like the “o” in go, elope, vote or low.
- The sound of the short vowel “o” is sometimes difficult to voice, but if we remember to make is sound like the “oo” in moon or food, or like the “ue” in true, we should have less of a problem replicating this sound.
- Finally the long vowel, “e” (the only one that is a single letter). This is like the “e” in beg or let, the “ea” in bear, or the “ae” in aerial.
Sound of the Vowels “aa” & “a”
In much the same way as the language is predominately based on Verbs, the sounds that we make are important to get to the way we sound, that is: ”e niweying”.
“aa”
Let’s start with the “aa”. The “a” in father, guitar or art is one sound to mimic.
The “o” in lock or rotten or the “aw” sound in fawn are others that we use as examples of the sound we expect to hear when we use the vowels “aa” .
Some anishinaabemowin that have the “aa” sound are Aankwat, cloud, Naanan, five, maang, loon, niigaan, front, gegaa, almost, naame, under, myaa, exactly, baamaa or naagach, later, ziitaagan, salt to mention just a few.
“a”
The “u” in rudder and duck; the “ou” in rough and tough, the “a” and the “u” in the word adjust and the second “o” in colony are good examples of this sound.
Some anishinaabemowin that have the “a” sound are pane, always, kina, all, naanan, five, gashi, mother, makazin, shoe, dinmaangan, shoulder, pabwin, chair, gimiwan, it is raining, aki, earth, and amik, beaver.
Sounds of the Vowels "ii" & "i"
“ii”
The “e” in even and behind, the “ie” in relief, the “ee” in sneeze and the “ea” in beard are all examples of the sound the “ii” represents.
Some words that contain these sounds are: miigwech, thank you, giizis, sun, miiknoot, pants, wiikwaan, hat,niiwin, four, miinjisan, hair, shkiinzhik, eye, wiibit, tooth, jiibaakwe, to cook, ziitaagan, salt and niibiish, leaf.
“I”
Probably one of the more familiar sounds from English to Anishinaabemowin is the “I”, for example kill, lily, whisper, fish and bird are all examples of this sound.
We will hear this sound in words like amik, beaver, pichi, robin, mishoomis. Grandfather, nookmis, grandmother, zit, foot, shkiinzhik, eye, wiibit, tooth, doopwin, table, pabwin, chair, and noodin, wind.
Sounds of the vowels “oo” and “o”
“oo”
Again, a sound that is close or familiar, the “oo” sound is like the “o” in vote or go, elope and low.
The sound is found in words like, zookpo, it is snowing, noos, father, miiknoot, pants, goodaas, dress, dooskan, elbow, noogan, hip, doon, mouth, doopwin, table, noodin, wind, doodooshaaboo, milk and finally gookoosh, pig.
“o”
This is the most difficult sound because it is close to the “a”, it is like the “oo” in moon or food, or like the “ue” in true.
Example of this are found in ngoding, once, zigos, aunt, kon, bone, nowe, cheek, zookpo, it is snowing, animosh, dog, ziipagot, sour, wiisgipigot, bitter, bmose, to walk, gindaaso, to count.
Sounds of the vowel “e”
“e”
One of the most numerous sounds in our language is exemplified by the “e”. The “e” in beg, the “ea” in bear, and the “ae” in aerial.
We find these in esban, raccoon, gegaa, almost, pane, always, gegpii, finally, eshkam, gradually more, ikwe, woman, dengwe, face, shkwaandem, door, waaskonenjigan, light, gzaate, it is hot, bmide, lard or grease, and naabese, rooster.