Swampy Cree language
| Swampy Cree | |
|---|---|
| ᓀᐦᐃᓇᐍᐏᐣ / Nêhinawêwin | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Ontario |
| Ethnicity | 2,800 (2007) |
|
Native speakers
|
2,500 (2007) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | swam1239 |
| Linguasphere | 62-ADA-ac, 62-ADA-ad |
Cree Linguistic subdivisions
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Swampy Cree (variously known as Maskekon, Omaškêkowak, and often anglicized as Omushkego) is a variety of the Algonquian language, Cree. It is spoken in a series of Swampy Cree communities in northern Manitoba, central northeast of Saskatchewan along the Saskatchewan River and along the Hudson Bay coast and adjacent inland areas to the south and west, and Ontario along the coast of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Within the group of dialects called "West Cree", it is referred to as an "n-dialect", as the variable phoneme common to all Cree dialects appears as "n" in this dialect (as opposed to y, r, l, or ð; all of the phonemes are considered a linguistic reflex of Proto-Algonquian *r).
It had approximately 4500 speakers in a population of 5000 as of 1982 according to the 14th edition of the Ethnologue. Canadian census data does not identify specific dialects of Cree (all estimates now current rely on extrapolations from specific studies), and currently, no accurate census of any Algonquian language exists.
The grammar and the examples used on this page are taken from Ellis's Second Edition (1983) of "Spoken Cree."
A division is sometimes made between West Swampy Cree and East Swampy Cree.
Communities recognized as West Swampy Cree include Shoal Lake, The Pas, Easterville, Chemawawin Cree Nation, Grand Rapids Barren Lands, Churchill, Split Lake, York Factory, Fox Lake, Shamattawa, and God's Lake Narrows (all in Manitoba) and Fort Severn, Ontario.
Communities recognized as East Swampy Cree are Weenusk, Attawapiskat, Albany Post, Kashechewan, and Fort Albany (all in Ontario). The Cree spoken at Kashechewan also shows Moose Cree influence.
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Wikipedia