Algonquin

About

Anishinābemowin, known in English as "Algonquin", is an endangered language of the Algonquian language family, spoken by the Anishinābeg people throughout Algonquin territory in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Canada. This dictionary was created for Timiskaming First Nation's Language Revitalization Project and launched in 2026 for the purposes of documenting and preserving the language, and using this documentation as part of revitalization efforts. For more information on the community, speakers, or the project itself, please contact [email protected].

Grammar

The language spoken at Timiskaming First Nation is most often called Algonquin. This name, however, is an “exonym”, a name given from outside the community, likely used by colonial French speakers. Within the language itself, an Algonquinperson is called Anishinābe, and the Algonquin people are the Anishinābeg. The language itself is called Anishinābemowin, which can be understood as “the way the Anishinaabe speak.” You can see the commonalities in these words: Anishinābe ‘Algonquin person’ Anishinābeg Anishinābe + g -g = plural marker ‘Algonquin people’ Anishinābemowin Anishinābe + mo + win -mo = speak -win = the way that something happens ‘Algonquin language’ Learning to see these commonalities and using them in different ways is one of the goals of this program. Anishinābemowin is a living language with many regional varieties. Often times we used the word “dialect” to talk about these different varieties. Speakers across communities share linguistic, familial, and cultural connections, but each place has its own expressions, vocabulary, sounds, and ways of speaking. For example, the Anishinābemowin spoken at Kitigan Zibi and at Temiskaming are mutually intelligible, but not identical. These local ways of speaking reflect each community’s unique history, relationships, and landscape. While the spoken language varies only slightly from place to place, the writing systems can be very different. Some communities use syllabics, others use Roman orthographies, and even among Roman systems there are multiple spelling styles. For example: Some varieties of Algonquin use “c” for the “ch” or the “sh” sound; you may see “Anishinābe” written as “Anicinabe”. In some Western or older Eastern varieties, the character “8” is used to represent a sound similar to “w”; you may see “mīgwech” written as “miig8tc”. Other communities, including Temiskaming, tend to use a Roman writing system based on more familiar English letters, though spelling may vary from speaker to speaker.…