'Anishininiimowin' (also known as 'Oji-Cree' or 'Severn Ojibwa') is the
language of the ''Anishinini'' (
Oji-Cree)
First Nation of
Ontario and
Manitoba. Different sources may classify it as either a distinct language in its own right, or as a dialect of the
Anishinaabe language.
The Oji-Cree are a people of mixed
Ojibwe and
Cree descent, and their language represents a similar mixture of Ojibwe language and
Cree language antecedents. Part of the
Algonquian language family, ''Anishininiimowin'' is written in
Algonquian syllabics with a mixture of Eastern and Western Algonquian features. It is more closely related to ''
Anishinaabemowin'' morphologically, and more specifically with that of the
Algonquin language of ''Anishinaabemowin'', but its literary tradition is closer to Cree.
''Anishininiimowin'' was one of only six aboriginal languages in Canada to report an ''increase'' in use in the
2001 Canadian census over the 1996 census.
[1]
The language's
SIL code is
OJS, derived from "Ojibwa: Severn dialect".
External links
★
Anishininimowin language at LanguageGeek.com
★
Anishininimowin language resources at knet.ca, including dictionary prototype and downloadable syllabic font
References
1. Aboriginal peoples of Canada: A Demographic Profile, Statistics Canada