Wiki Languages: Atikamekw language (Atikamekw)
| Language: Atikamekw (Atikamekw language) | Local name: Atikamekw |
| Language code: atj | Display language: English (en)|
| Speak area: Canada | Classification: Amerindian |
| Country: Canada | Second language: |
| Usage: regional | Wiki language for Atikamekw language |
Dictionary for Atikamekw (Atikamekw) in English
| English | Atikamekw |
| Atikamekw | English |
| Atikamekw | |
|---|---|
| atikamekw nehiromowin | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Quebec |
| Ethnicity | Atikamekw |
Native speakers | 6,165 (2016 census)[1] |
Language family | Algic
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | atj |
| Glottolog | atik1240 |
| ELP | Attikamek |
| Linguasphere | 62-ADA-c |
 Atikamekw is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Atikamekw (endonym: Atikamekw Nehiromowin, literally "Atikamekw native language") is a variety of the Algonquian languageCree 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-Algonquianliquid ("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". 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:
| 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.
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
- Atikamekw orthography and phonology (Languagegeek)
- Native Languages page for Atikamekw
- OLAC resources in and about the Atikamekw language