Cree 100 (S91) – Online – Fall Semester 2024 PDF

First Nations University of Canada Cree 100 (S91) – Online – Weeks 1 & 2 Content Fall Semester, 2024 Instructor: J. Roy Contents © Julie Roy 1 Cree 100 – Cree D...

First Nations University of Canada Cree 100 (S91) – Online – Weeks 1 & 2 Content Fall Semester, 2024 Instructor: J. Roy Contents © Julie Roy 1 Cree 100 – Cree Dialects, Sound & Spelling System (SRO) Contents © Julie Roy In Canada, there are 12 major Indigenous linguistic groups and one of them is referred to as the Algonkian/Algonquian family consisting of 14 different languages. Cree is one of those languages and it is deemed a dominant Indigenous language. Refer to the 2021 Canadian Census Statistics chart data at https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220817/cg-a002-eng.htm The Cree language is technically known as being spoken in 9 different dialects across Canada (see map 1 pg. 3). There are 5 main dialects (see examples below) known as the ‘non-palatalized’ dialects spoken in western and central Canada. 3 of the main dialects exist on the prairie provinces and all 3 are spoken in Saskatchewan (see map 2 pg. 3). They are the Y, Th and N dialects however this course focuses on the southern Y dialect for the most part. A northern Y dialect also exists. The Cree language in the Y dialect is referred to as nēhiyawēwin. Example: Y dialect → niya (I/Me) *the ‘iy’ takes an automatic ‘ee’ sound. - referred to as Plains Cree [a southern and northern version exists]. Th dialect → nītha (I/Me) *the ‘i’ becomes a long vowel. - referred to as Woods/Woodland Cree. N dialect → nīna (I/Me) - referred to as Swampy Cree. L dialect → nīla (I/Me) - referred to as Moose Cree. R dialect → nīra (I/Me) *the ‘r’ is pronounced with a slight roll of the tongue much like the French language version. This dialect is referred to as Atikamēk Cree. Refer to the maps of the Cree dialects that extend across Canada on the next page. These are general maps and may not be accurate. Note that there are Cree speaking communities in the state of Montana, USA as well. 2 Map 1 Map 2 3 A Standard Roman Orthography [SRO] writing system is currently used for all Cree dialects. The phonetic form of writing Cree is no longer used. Many different regional preferences and variations exist for some of the SRO sounds of the Y dialect spoken word. Fluent Cree speakers do not all speak the same way and do not use the same sounds in some cases. There are many instances where Cree speaking reserves/communities influence their neighboring communities. Another factor is the intermarriage ties within the neighboring communities, which in turn influence the mingling of the different dialects. Many Cree speaking people currently mix more than one dialect in their mother tongue. It is important to note that the stresses of Cree terminology will come naturally with the proper pronunciation of the letters and sounds particularly when speaking in sentences in an unhesitating flow. The intonation and inflection of the voice will contribute to the context of what is being said. Facial expressions, gestures and body language also contribute to the overall meaning of expression. SRO – Sound & Spelling System 14 letters of the English alphabet are utilized to create the Standard Roman Orthography [SRO] written form of Cree. There are 4 vowels, however 7 unique vowel sounds exist. The vowel sounds are very important in SRO pronunciation and in writing. There are 10 consonant sounds. A total of 17 main sounds affect the Plains - Y dialect. Some sounds differ in other dialects as previously mentioned. The 4 vowels are: a, e, i, o Although there are only 4 vowels in SRO, there are seven distinct vowel sounds. The 4 vowels accommodate the long sounds and 3 accommodate the short sounds. Special symbols, the first referred to as a macron/straight bar above the vowel, is applied to the 4 vowels to distinguish the long sounds [ā, ē, ī, ō] and they are pronounced slowly. Another accepted symbol used for the SRO long vowels is the caret/inverted v above the vowel [â, ê, î, ô]. The reading, writing, and speaking of Cree in SRO is very much guided by these symbols. Leaving the symbol out would cause a non-speaker of Cree to have a difficult time in distinguishing the long and short vowel sounds. The short vowels are unmarked [a, i, o] and they are pronounced quickly. 4 It is important to be accurate with the spelling and pronunciation of the 7 distinct vowel sounds because not only particular sounds will be affected, but the meaning of the word would also change i.e. minimal pairs and sets (refer to page 8). Long Vowels (marked with a macron/caret): ā → pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘fa’ as when singing “do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, do” Example: āhāsiw (a crow) ē → pronounced like the ‘e’ in ‘berry’ or the ‘ay’ in ‘hay’ *dialect variation Example: tēpwē (to yell/holler) ī → pronounced like the ‘i’ in ‘machine’ or the double ‘e’ in ‘bee’ Example: sīsīp (a duck) ō → pronounced like the ‘oo’ in ‘soon’ Example: ōhōw (an owl) *The ‘ē’ sound differs with regional preferences and dialect variation, particularly in Woodland and northern Plains Cree where the ‘ī’ sound is used in the place of the southern Plains Cree ‘ē’ sound. Short Vowels (unmarked): *There is no short ‘e’ sound in SRO! a → pronounced like the initial ‘a’ in ‘appeal’ or the ‘u’ in ‘up’ Example: awas (go away) i → pronounced like the ‘i’ in ‘if’ Example: mihti (firewood – singular) o → pronounced like the ‘oo’ in ‘soot’ or the ‘u’ in ‘put’ Example: mostos (a cow) 5 The 10 consonants are: *c, h, *k, m, n, *p, s, *t, w, y The consonant h, m, n, s, w, y is pronounced like your English counterpart. Pay special attention to the letters c, k, p, t due to their sound variations. The sounds are affected by dialect variation and preference. c→ is pronounced like the ‘ts’ in ‘cats’ [southern version] or the ‘ch’ in ‘catch’ [northern version]. Examples: cīki (near) wacask (a muskrat) anohc (today/now) Note: In SRO writing, the consonant ‘c’ is never used to represent the ‘k’ sound in ‘cook’ or the ‘s’ sound in ‘cent’. k→ is pronounced as a cross between the ‘g’ in ‘gill’ and the ‘k’ in ‘kill’. Typically, when a Cree word begins and ends in ‘k’, it is a ‘k’ sound as in ‘skill’, otherwise there will be a variation between the ‘k/g’ combination sound and the ‘g’ as in ‘gill’. Examples: kotak (another) mākwa (a loon) oyākan (a dish/plate) Note: Never pronounce the ‘k’ as hard as the ‘k’ sounds in ‘kick’. The letter ‘g’ is never used in SRO writing even though you may hear that sound. p→ is pronounced as a cross between the ‘p’ in ‘pit’ and the ‘b’ in ‘bit’. However, when a Cree word begins with ‘p’, it is a ‘p’ sound as in ‘spill’. When it is the last letter in a word, it has a softer aspirated sound. Examples: pēho (wait) api (sit) akohp (a blanket) t→ is pronounced like the ‘t’ in ‘stanza’. It is a cross between ‘t’ in ‘tin’ and the ‘d’ in ‘dim’ however when a Cree word begins with ‘t’, it is a ‘t’ sound as in ‘still’. When it is the last letter in a word, it has a softer aspirated sound. Examples: tāpwē (true/really) āta (although) mīpit (a tooth) 6 The SRO chart below combines the 10 consonant sounds with the 7 distinct vowel sounds. CREE SOUNDS CHART (SRO) (berry) (machine) (if) (soon) (soot) (fa) (appeal) ē ī i ō o ā a p pē pī pi pō po pā pa t tē tī ti tō to tā ta c cē cī ci cō co cā ca kē kī ki kō ko kā ka k m mē mī mi mō mo mā ma n nē nī ni nō no nā na s sē sī si sō so sā sa w wē wī wi wō wo wā wa h hē hī hi hō ho hā ha y yē yī yi yō yo yā ya 7 Minimal pairs are like the homonyms of English grammar because they represent words, which have similar spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings. These differences are caused by the changing of certain letters. There appears to be 4 types of minimal pairs in Cree and therefore, there are 4 different definitions. Note: (n) – noun, (v) – verb, (Pp) – preposition, (pt) – particle, (pv) – preverb Type 1: nipiy – water (n) - This minimal pair shows a change in nīpiy – a leaf/blade of grass (n) a vowel (short to long/vice versa). Type 2: yōtin – it is windy (v) - This minimal pair shows a change in nōtin – fight him/her (v) a consonant. Type 3: ōta – here (Pp) - This minimal pair shows a change in āta – although (pt) a complete vowel. Type 4: nēhiyaw – Cree person (n) - This minimal pair shows a change in nēhiyawē – speak Cree (v) an additional letter (consonant or vowel). The four types that appear in a combination are referred to as minimal sets. *Type 1 & 4: *Type 2 & 4: maci – evil/bad (pv) mihko – blood (n) māci – begin/start (pv) pihko – soot/ashes (n) māciy – to hunt big game (v) pihkos – gnat/sandfly (n) sihko – spit (v) *Type 1, 2 & 3: sihkos – weasel (n) mayaw – as soon as (pt) miyaw – a body (n) - (as in death) miyāw – he/she is given something (v) miyām – smell him/her/it (v) 8  Important SRO Spelling Rules 1. NEVER use the English letters b, d, f, g, j, q, u, v, x, z when writing in the Y dialect of Cree, even though you may hear the English sounds b, d, g, u. The letters l and r exist in the Moose (L) and Atikamēk (R) dialects only. 2. DO NOT leave out the macron/caret symbol (the mark above the vowel) when writing in Cree. The letter ‘e’ will always be spelled as ‘ē’ (macron) or ‘ê’ (caret). Never apply the letters ‘ay’ to represent the ‘ē’ or ‘ê’ in SRO writing even though you may hear the ‘ay’ sound. 3. NEVER use capitalization and it is NOT necessary to apply punctuation when writing in Cree. 4. DO NOT spell with digraphs when writing in Cree even though you may hear them. i.e. the ‘ch’ or ‘sh’ sounds that exist in eastern and northern dialects. Exception: the digraph ‘th’ applies in the Woods Cree (Th dialect). 5. NEVER spell with double consonants (hh) or vowels (aa), including two different vowels in combination (iē, oa). 6. DO NOT drop the unstressed ‘i’ (the silent ‘i’) from the spelling of a word. 9