Northern East Cree language
| East Cree | |
|---|---|
| Īyiyū Ayimūn (N), Īnū Ayimūn (S) | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Quebec |
|
Native speakers
|
13,000 (1997) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either: crl – Northern crj – Southern |
| Glottolog |
sout2978 (southern)nort1552 (northern)
|
| Linguasphere | 62-ADA-af (northern) |
Linguistic subdivisions in Canada
|
|
East Cree, also known as (Eastern) James Bay Cree, and East Main Cree, is a group of Cree dialects spoken in Quebec, Canada on the east coast of lower Hudson Bay and James Bay, and inland southeastward from James Bay. Cree happens to be one of the most spoken non-official aboriginal languages of Canada. Four dialects have been tentatively identified including the Southern Inland dialect (Iyiniw-Ayamiwin) spoken in Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou, Waswanipi, and Nemaska; the Southern Coastal dialect (Iyiyiw-Ayamiwin) spoken in Nemaska, Waskaganish, and Eastmain; the Northern Coastal Dialects (Iyiyiw-Ayimiwin), one spoken in Wemindji and Chisasibi and the other spoken in Whapmagoostui. The dialects are mutually intelligible, though difficulty arises as the distance between communities increases.
East Cree is not considered an endangered language due to many young speakers who are using the language (Mela S.; Mali A. 2009). According to the 2011 Canada Census, there are currently 83,475 speakers of Cree alone, and a total of 144,015 Algonquian speakers. According to the statistics, Cree is the largest language practiced and alive in comparison to all the other languages in the Algonquian family. The rest are ranging anywhere from 3250 speakers to 19,275.
The long vowels *ē and *ā have merged in the northern coastal dialects but remain distinct in the southern coastal and southern inland dialects; southern inland has merged *s with *š, which remain distinct in the coastal dialects. Neighboring Naskapi has both.
In East Cree there are thirteen consonants:
There are eight vowels:
In East Cree you have Primary Derivation, Secondary Derivation, and Composition.
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