Nanaan e-ki-na-ma'-di-win'
http://www.real-dream-catchers.com/Ojibwe_culture_and_language/ojibwe_language.htm
(1).Introduction (bezhig) to Ojibwe Language
izhichige(verb) meaning the way in which he/she does (something)
e-ki-na-ma'-di-win' (teachings
debwe(verb) he/she tells the truth"de" usually signifies something going on in the mind/thinking (also in "he/she understands","he/she knows", and "he/she believes").
"bwe" refers to speech (also in "he/she speaks", "he/she says so"),
"debwe" literally means something like, "to know enough about something to speak of it" (in Ojibwe culture you would not risk talking like you know something when you really don't; to be found wrong would be an embarrassment).
Medicines: ah-say-ma' (tobacco), mush'-ko-day-wushk' (sage), gi-shee-kan-dug (cedar), o-gee-bic-coon' (roots)
(2).Introduction to Ojibwe Noun and Pronoun Grammar
Writing System (Fiero system)
1. All words are read as they�re written. 2. Double vowels stand for long vowels and should be read as long single sound (eg.: /aa/ is [a:], but not [aa]. There are seven vowel sounds (short and long) in Fiero system: 2.1. short /a/ sounds like u in mud; 2.2. long /aa/ sounds like a in father; 2.3. short /i/ sounds like i in sit or Jim; 2.4. long /ii/ sounds like ee in seen or ea in sea; 2.5. /e/ sounds like ay in pray; 2.6. short /o/ sounds like �oh� or oe in doe; 2.7. long /oo/ sounds like oo in loon or o in do; 3. There is also /zh/ which sounds like su in measure. 4. An apostrophe /�/stands for glottal stop. 5. /nh/ stand after nasal vowels to indicate them (/nh/ are not pronounced). 6. There are no sounds l, r, v, f or letters f, l, q, r, u, v and x.
(3).Commands. Imperative
"Yes/no" Questions and Negations
"Yes/no" questions, which need "yes" or "no" answer are formed using special question marker - a word ina or na. It always stands after the first word in a question:
giwiisin ina? = are you eating? giminikwe na? = are you drinking? ginamadab ina? = are you sitting? gigii-anokii na bijiinaago? = did you work yesterday? giwii-izhaa na adaawewigamigong waabang? = will you go to the store tomorrow?
Negations are formed with a word gaawiin = «no, not» and a negative suffix /-sii/ or /-zii/ for vai and vta, /-siin/ or /-ziin/ for vti and vta, /-sinoon/ or /-zinoon/ for vii. A consonant in a suffix depends on a stem ending - 's' after a vowel and 'z' after a consonant:
gaawiin niwiisinisii = I'm not eating gaawiin niminikwesii = I'm not drinking gaawiin ningii-anokiisii bijiinaago = I didn't work yesterday gaawiin niwii-izhaasii adaawewigamigong waabang = I won't go to the store tomorrow
(4).Anishinaabe Questions
Do you want to eat? ... Giwii-wiisin ina?
Are you going over there? ... Giwii-izhaa na?
Are you working? ... Gidanokii na?
(5).Verb Categories and Conjugation
wiisini - eats
izhaa - goes
ni-wiisin
I eat
nind-izhaa
I go
gi-wiisin
you eat
gid-izhaa
you go
wiisini
s/he eats
izhaa
s/he goes
ni-wiisini-min
we (exc) eat
nind-izhaa-min
we (exc) go
gi-wiisini-min
we (inc) eat
gid-izhaa-min
we (ins) go
gi-wiisini-m
you pl. eat
gid-izhaa-m
you pl. go
wiisini-wag
they eat
izhaa-wag
they
Gih'ga-wa-ba-min na-gutch'! (See you later!)
Chi-abay
