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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.[3]
| Atikamekw | |
|---|---|
| atikamekw nehiromowin | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Quebec |
| Ethnicity | Atikamekw |
Native speakers | 6,200 (2016 census)[1] |
Algic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | atj |
| Glottolog | atik1240 |
| ELP | Attikamek |
| Linguasphere | 62-ADA-c |
 Atikamekw is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
| People | Atikamekw Nehirowisiw |
|---|---|
| Language | Atikamekw Nehiromowin |
| Country | Nitaskinan (Nehirowisi Aski) |
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
editConsonants
editThe 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
editThe 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
edit- ^ Atikamekw at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (24 May 2022). "Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi". Glottolog. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "Cultures et traditions" (in French). Conseil des Atikamekw d'Opitciwan. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ a b Béland 1978, p. 8.
References
edit- Béland, Jean-Pierre (1978). Atikamekw Morphology & Lexicon (Ph.D. thesis). Berkeley: University of California.