Mi'kmaq language

The Míkmaq language (also spelled Mi’kmaq, Mi’gmaq, and Micmac) is an Eastern Algonquian language spoken by around 7,300 Míkmaq in Canada, and another 1,200 in United States, out of a total ethnic Míkmaq population of roughly 20,000. The word Míkmaq is a plural; the singular is Míkm. The name for the language is Mi'kmewey.

Writing System

Míkmaq is written using a number of Roman alphabet schemes based on those devised by missionaries in the 19th century. Previously, the language was written in Míkmaq hieroglyphic writing, a script of partially-native origin. The Francis-Smith orthography used here was developed in 1974, and adopted as the official orthography of the Míkmaq Nation in 1980. It is the most widely-used orthography, used by Nova Scotian Mikmaq and by the Míkmaq Grand Council. It is quite similar to the "Lexicon" orthography, differing from it only in its use of the acute accent < ´ > instead of the colon < : > to mark vowel length. Two deviations from the Francis-Smith orthography are fairly widespread. The first is the omission of the acute accent or the fallback of writing it as an apostrophe < ' > or right single quote < ’ > immediately following the vowel. This practice is likely related to the use of typewriters or computer keyboards not suitably configured to enable the input of the acute-accented vowels. The second deviation is the replacement of the barred-i < ɨ > by the more common circumflex-i < î >. In Listuguj orthography, the apostrophe marks the long vowel, and the letter <g> is used instead of the letter <k>. The 19th-century Pacifique orthography omits <w> and <y>, using <o> and i for these. It also ignores vowel length. The 19th-century orthography of Silas Tertius Rand is also given in the table below; this orthography is more complex than the table suggests, particularly as far as vowel quantity and quality is concerned.

Orthographies

IPA	a	a:	e	e:	i	i:	ə	dʒ/tʃ	g/k	l	m	n	o	o:	b/p	x	s	d/t	u	u:	w	j
Francis-Smith	a	á	e	é	i	í	ɨ	j	k	l	m	n	o	ó	p	q	s	t	u	ú	w	y
Listuguj	a	a'	e	e'	i	i'	'	j	g	l	m	n	o	o'	p	q	s	t	u	u'	w	y
Lexicon	a	a:	e	e:	i	i:	ɨ	j	k	l	m	n	o	o:	p	q	s	t	u	u:	w	y
Pacifique	a		e		i			tj	g	l	m	n	ô		p		s	t	o
Rand	ă	a â	ĕ	ā	ĭ	e	ŭ	ch	c k	l	m	n	ŏ	o ō	b	h	s	d t	ŏŏ	oo u	w	y

Sounds

The orthography presented here is the Francis-Smith Orthography. <ɨ> represents a schwa, /ə/. <j> is a voiceless affricate, /ʧ/, and a voiceless velar fricative, /x/. A following apostrophe (properly a right single quote ’) is often used in place of the acute-accented vowel. Míkmaq voiceless plosives become allophonically voiced between vowels or when next to l, m, or n. Thus <Míkmaq> is pronounced [miːɡmax].

Vowels

	Front		Central		Back
	Short	Long	Short	Long	Short	Long
Close	i	í			u	ú
Mid	e	é	ɨ		o	ó
Open			a	á

Consonants

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive	p	t		k
Affricate			j
Fricative		s		q
Nasal	m	n
Approximant	w	l	y

References

• Rand, Silas Tertius. 1875. First reading book in the Micmac language. Halifax: Nova Scotia Printing Company. Reprinted 2006: Vancouver: Global Language Press, ISBN 0-9738-9248-X
• Rand, Silas Tertius. 1888. Dictionary of the language of the Micmac Indians, who reside in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Newfoundland. Halifax: Nova Scotia Printing Company. Reprinted 1994: New Delhi & Madras: Asian Educational Services, ISBN 81-206-0954-9

External links

• Mi'kmaq Online Talking Dictionary
• Internet Archive of "Míkmaq Language"
• Native Languages page on Míkmaq
• Ethnologue report
• Chris Harvey's page on Míkmawísimk