Ojibwemodaa!
Ojibwemowin, or sometimes called Anishinaabemowin, is the language of the indigenous people called variously the Ojibwe, Anishinaabe, Chippewa or Ojibwa. Historically they have lived around the Great Lakes. Today they live all over the United States and Canada, with reservation lands on the United States side in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota. On the Canadian side, there are First Nation Reserves in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskakchewan. On this website we use both Ojibwe and Anishinaabe to refer to the people themselves, and both Ojibwemowin and Anishinaabemowin to refer to the language.
Ojibwemowin is considered part of the Algonquian language family. See the Anishinaabe language entry in Wikepedia for further information on language families.
Double Vowel orthography and other writing systems
For thousands of years, the Anishinaabeg passed on their knowledge and culture orally through Anishinaabemowin. Recently in the language's history, people have begun to write it. You may see it written phonetically using the English alphabet or in the special characters of syllabics, which is used primarily in Canada. The newest writing system is the Double Vowel system, devised by Charles Fiero.
There is no standard orthography, however the Double Vowel system is gaining popularity among language teachers and learners in the United Stated and Canada because of its ease of use. And many materials are being produced using this orthography.
The Double Vowel system is based on the idea that the letters and letter combinations represent Ojibwe sounds, not English sounds even though they are taken from the English alphabet. Each letter or letter combination in the Double Vowel system has only one possible pronuniciation, unlike English were the word "read" can be pronounced two different ways with two different meanings.
The system takes its name from its treatment of vowels. There are short vowels and long vowels. The short vowels are formed using one letter, and the long vowels are formed by two letters, or a doubling of the letter, and thus the name "double vowel."
Ojibwe alphabet and pronunciation chart
Although the letters used are taken from the English alphabet, they represent Ojibwe sounds, not English sounds. In the examples below, Ojibwe sounds and English approximations of the Ojibwe sounds are given. However, it is always best to consult a native speaker for the best pronunciation. Correct pronunciation is important, mispronouncing a word can completely change its meaning.
| asemaa (tobacco) | about | |
| omaa (here) | father | |
| esiban (raccoon) | way | |
| gimiwan (it's raining) | pin | |
| niiwin (four) | seen | |
| opin (potato) | obey, book | |
| oodenaang (in/to town) | boat, boot |
| bakwezhigan (bread) | big | |
| chi-oginiig (tomatoes) | chin | |
| doodooshaboo (milk) | dog | |
| gaag (porcupine) | go | |
| hay' (oops) | hi | |
| maajaan (go) | jello | |
| mikinaak (turtle) | kite | |
| mamoon (take it) | milk | |
| bine (partridge) | name | |
| baapiwag (they laugh) | pig | |
| es (clam) | sun | |
| nishkaadizi (s/he's angry) | bush | |
| anit (fish spear) | time | |
| waawaan (egg) | woman | |
| babagiwayan (shirt) | yell | |
| mooz (moose) | zebra | |
| niizh (two) | measure | |
| ma'iingan (wolf) | oh - oh (glottal stop) |
Notes:
- The English letters and sounds of f, l, q, r, u, v and x are not part of the Ojibwe alphabet.
- The Ojibwe alphabet contains the additional double-letter symbols of aa, ch, ii, oo, sh and zh .
- The glottal stop (represented by an apostrophe) is a sound made a release of air from your throat, similar to when someone punches you in the stomach.
Credit for this pronunciation guide goes to Rick Gresczyk (Ojibwe Word List. Eagle Works, Minneapolis, MN.) and to John Nichols and Earl Nyholm (A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe).