Mi'kmaq language

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Learn Mi'kmaq language
A language lesson part of Wikilang.
Chapters
Chap. 1 :Introduction
Chap. 2 :Dialects
Chap. 3 :Orthographies and writing systems
Chap. 4 :Phonology
Chap. 5 :Grammar
Chap. 6 :Counting
Chap. 7 :Basic vocabulary
Chap. 8 :Greetings

Mi'kmaq or Mi'gmaq, also called Micmac, is a language spoken by the Aboriginal nation of the same name in Eastern Canada and United States. The language status is "threatened" with approximately 8,000 speakers. The majority language in Mi'kmaq's communities is English or French (in Quebec). The population of actual Mi'kmaq speakers is decreasing, most speakers being the elders of the communities. There is no monolingual Mi'kmaq speaker and Mi'kmaq is not the first language of the younger generations that speak Mi'kmaq.

This lesson will only cover the basics of the language.

Objectives[edit | edit source]

The objectives of this lesson are:

  • Discover the basics of Mi'kmaq language
  • Understand the different dialects and orthographies used in Mi'kmaq
  • Learn some basic vocabulary in Mi'kmaq

Prerequisites[edit | edit source]

None.

Mentors[edit | edit source]

Native speakers:

  • None.

Second language speakers:

  • None.

Lesson authors:

Useful references[edit | edit source]

  • DeBlois, Albert. 1984. Micmac Orthography. National Museum of Canada.
  • DeBlois, Albert D., Metallic, Alphonse. 1984. Micmac Lexicon. National Museums of Canada.
  • Hewson John, Francis, Bernard. 1990. The Micmac grammar of Father Pacifique. Translated and retranscribed. Algonquian and Iroquoian Linguistics.
  • Jerome, John, Williams, Watson. 1979. Aspects of Micmac intransitive animate inflections. Carleton University.
  • Rand, Silas Tertius. 1888. Dictionary of the language of the Micmac Indians, who reside in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Newfoundland. Halifax: Nova Scotia Printing Company. Reprinted 1994: New Delhi & Madra.