Ojibwe dialects facts for kids

The Ojibwe language is a special language spoken by the Ojibwe people. It's like a big family of different ways of speaking, called dialects. These dialects are spoken in areas next to each other. People speaking nearby dialects can usually understand each other pretty well. But if they are far apart, it can be harder to understand.

Some dialects, like Ottawa, Severn Ojibwe, and Algonquin, are quite different. They are so different that some people think they could be separate languages! There isn't one "best" or "main" dialect. Also, there's no single way to write the language that everyone uses. This means that different Ojibwe-speaking groups have their own ways of speaking and writing.

The Ojibwe people call their language Anishinaabemowin. You might see it written in different ways, like ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ using a special writing system called syllabics. People in different places might say and spell it a bit differently.

Ojibwe dialects are spoken across a huge area! In Canada, you can find speakers from Quebec all the way through Ontario, Manitoba, and parts of Saskatchewan. There are even some communities in Alberta and British Columbia. In the United States, Ojibwe is spoken from Michigan through Wisconsin and Minnesota. You'll also find speakers in North Dakota, Montana, and even some groups who moved to Kansas and Oklahoma.

The dialects are generally split into two main groups: northern and southern. In between, there are "transition" dialects. These have a mix of features from the dialects next to them.

Understanding Ojibwe Dialects

Ojibwe is spoken in many places around the Great Lakes. This includes Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. You can also find speakers in western Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and a few communities in Alberta, North Dakota, Montana, British Columbia, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Even though there are some small differences in how people group the dialects, these are the main ones, going from west to east:

• Western Ojibwe (Saulteaux)
• Southwestern Ojibwe (Chippewa)
• Northwestern Ojibwe
• Severn Ojibwe (Oji-Cree)
• Ottawa (Odawa)
• Eastern Ojibwe
• Algonquin

Some studies in the 1980s and 1990s found a few more dialects. These include Berens Ojibwe, Border Lakes Ojibwe, North of Superior, and Nipissing.

The different groups of Ojibwe dialects. This is based on how words are used and how well people can understand each other. EOj = Eastern Ojibwe; SWOj = Southwestern Ojibwe; COj = Central Ojibwe; NWOj = North(western) Ojibwe.

Experts agree that the Ottawa dialect is quite different and belongs in its own group. They also agree that Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin form another group. The main differences in how experts classify the language are about the dialects that are less different from each other.

One expert, Valentine, suggests that Ojibwe dialects are divided into three main groups:

• Northern Group: This includes Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin.
• Southern Group: This includes Ottawa, Chippewa, Eastern Ojibwe, Border Lakes Ojibwe, and Saulteaux.
• Transition Zone: This is an area between the northern and southern groups. Dialects here have a mix of features from both.

This way of grouping dialects often matches how the Ojibwe people traditionally lived. Southern groups often harvested maple sugar and wild rice. This allowed more people to live together and form social groups. Northern groups used waterways that flow into James and Hudson Bays. Southern groups lived near the Great Lakes.

Ojibwe dialects are different in their sounds (phonology), how words are formed (morphology), sentence structure (syntax), and vocabulary (words used). Some dialects, like Severn Ojibwe, Algonquin, and Ottawa, have many unique features. This is because they were separated from other Ojibwe groups for a long time. Dialects next to these very different ones might show a mix of features. For example, the Border Lakes dialect is similar to Western Ojibwe (Saulteaux) and Southwestern Ojibwe (Chippewa). It only has a few small differences.

Sometimes, what speakers call their language doesn't quite match what linguists find. For example, people in Golden Lake, Ontario, and Maniwaki, Quebec, say they speak Algonquin. But their language is actually more like the Nipissing dialect.

People speaking different Ojibwe dialects can often understand each other, at least partly. This is why Ojibwe is usually seen as one language with many dialects. However, because some dialects are quite hard to understand for speakers of other dialects, some people think Ojibwe could actually be several different languages.

Northern Ojibwe Dialects

The Northern dialects of Ojibwe are Severn Ojibwe and Algonquin. They are very different from other Ojibwe dialects. They share a set of features that are also found in some nearby transition dialects.

Severn Ojibwe: The Oji-Cree Language

• Ethnologue code: OJS
• Main article: Severn Ojibwa language

Severn Ojibwe is also known as Oji-Cree or Northern Ojibwa. In the language itself, it's called Anihshininiimowin. You can hear it spoken in northern Ontario and northern Manitoba. Even though it has many words borrowed from the Cree language, Severn Ojibwe is still considered a dialect of Ojibwe.

There are two smaller sub-dialects: Big Trout Lake and Deer Lake. Big Trout Lake is even divided into two more groups: Severn and Winisk River. People who speak Severn Ojibwe often write it using the Cree syllabary.

Algonquin: An Eastern Dialect

• Ethnologue code: ALQ
• Main article: Algonquin language

The Algonquin dialect of Ojibwe is spoken in communities in northwestern Quebec and eastern Ontario. It's important not to confuse this with the larger Algonquian language family. Algonquin is spoken along the Ottawa River valley, east of the Quebec-Ontario border, especially around Lake Abitibi.

Some Algonquin communities include Amos (Pikogan), Cadillac, Grand Lac Victoria, Hunter's Point, Kipawa (Eagle Village), Notre Dame du Nord (Timiskaming), Rapid Lake (Barriere Lake), Rapid Sept, Lac Simon, and Winneway (Long Point). Some of these communities, like Grand Lac Victoria and Lac Rapide, are located inside La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve in Quebec.

Sometimes, Algonquin is called 'Northern Algonquin'. This helps to tell it apart from the southern communities at Golden Lake, Ontario, and Maniwaki, Quebec. These southern communities were once grouped with Algonquin, but are now classified as belonging to the Nipissing dialect.

For example, people in Kitigan Zibi (also called River Desert or Maniwaki) in Quebec say they speak Algonquin. But their language is actually Nipissing. Many speakers from Maniwaki moved from Oka, Quebec. Also, an old grammar book from the 1800s, Grammaire de la language algonquine, actually describes Nipissing speech.

There isn't one standard way to write Algonquin. Older texts used a French-based writing system. Modern Algonquin resources often use an English-based system. Long vowels might be marked with a grave accent or by doubling the vowel.

The Nipissing dialect term omàmìwininì means 'downriver people' and refers to Algonquin speakers. The language itself is called omàmìwininìmowin. The general name Algonquin people use for themselves is Anicinàbe or Anishinàbe.

There's also a Western Algonquin subdialect. It stretches from Lake Huron and east of Lake Superior towards the Ontario-Quebec border. Communities like Temagami and Biscotasing in Ontario are examples of this subdialect.

Southern Ojibwe Dialects

Here are the southern dialects, listed from east to west.

Ottawa: The Odawa Language

• Ethnologue code: OTW
• Main article: Ottawa language

The Ottawa dialect is spoken in southern Ontario and northern Michigan. Important communities include Manitoulin Island, Ontario; Walpole Island, Ontario; Saugeen; and Cape Croker. Ottawa and the nearby Eastern Ojibwe dialect often shorten words by dropping some short vowels. This is called vowel syncope.

The most common name for the Ottawa dialect is Nishnaabemwin. This name is also used for Eastern Ojibwe. The term Daawaamwin means '(speaking the) Ottawa language' and is used specifically for Ottawa.

Ottawa is usually written using a version of the Double vowel writing system.

Eastern Ojibwe: Speaking Nishnaabemwin

• Ethnologue code: OJG
• Main article: Eastern Ojibwa language

The Eastern Ojibwe dialect is spoken east of Georgian Bay, Ontario. The main communities are Curve Lake, Ontario, and Rama, Ontario. Like Ottawa, Eastern Ojibwe also shortens words by dropping some short vowels.

The most common name for the Eastern Ojibwe dialect is Nishnaabemwin, which is also used for Ottawa. The term Jibwemwin means '(speaking the) Ojibwe language'. This term isn't limited to just one dialect. A recent Eastern Ojibwe dictionary says that Jibwemwin and Nishnaabemwin can be used interchangeably.

Eastern Ojibwe is generally written using a version of the Double vowel writing system.

Southwestern Ojibwe: The Chippewa Dialect

• Ethnologue code: CIW
• Main article: Chippewa language

Southwestern Ojibwe is spoken in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In English, this dialect is often called "Chippewa". The general Ojibwe term Anishinaabemowin is used for this dialect. Southwestern Ojibwe is most commonly written using the Double vowel writing system.

Border Lakes Ojibwe

• Main article: Border Lakes Ojibwe language

Border Lakes Ojibwe is spoken in the Lake of the Woods area of Ontario, close to the borders of Ontario, Minnesota, and Manitoba. Even though communities in this area were once thought to be part of the Saulteaux dialect, they are now seen as a separate dialect in the Southern group. Communities identified as Border Lakes include Lac La Croix, Emo (Rainy River First Nation), and Whitefish Bay, all in Ontario.

Saulteaux: Western and Plains Ojibwe

• Ethnologue code: OJW
• Main article: Western Ojibwa language

Saulteaux Ojibwe is also called Western Ojibwe or Plains Ojibwe. It's spoken in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. There's also a group of speakers in British Columbia. The language is called Anihšināpēmowin, Nahkawēwin, or Nahkawēmowin in its local writing system.

The writing system for Saulteaux uses special symbols like /š/ for a "sh" sound and /č/ for a "ch" sound. It marks long vowels with a line over them. It also has specific ways to write different consonant sounds.

Transition Ojibwe Dialects

These dialects show a mix of features from the northern and southern groups. They are listed from east to west.

Nipissing: A Unique Dialect

• Main article: Nipissing Ojibwe language

The Nipissing dialect of Ojibwe is spoken around Lake Nipissing in Ontario. A community where Nipissing is spoken is Golden Lake, though fewer people speak the language there now.

Even though speakers in Kitigan Zibi (also called River Desert) at Maniwaki, Quebec, say they speak Algonquin, the language there is actually Nipissing. Many Maniwaki speakers moved from Oka, Quebec. Also, an old grammar book from the 1800s that described "Algonquin language" was actually talking about Nipissing speech.

The term odishkwaagamii means 'those at the end of the lake' and is used by Algonquin speakers to refer to Nipissing dialect speakers. The language is called odishkwaagamiimowin. This term has also been used in other Ojibwe dialects to mean 'Algonquin Indian'.

Speakers of this dialect generally use a French-based writing system.

North of Superior Ojibwe

• Main article: North of Superior Ojibwe language

The North of Superior dialect is spoken along the north shore of Lake Superior. This area is west and east of Lake Nipigon. Communities include (from east to west) Pic Mobert, Pic Heron, Pays Plat, Long Lac, Aroland, Rocky Bay, and Lake Helen, all in Ontario.

Berens River Ojibwe

• Main article: Berens River Ojibwe language

Berens River Ojibwe is spoken along the Berens River in northern Ontario. Communities where it's spoken include Pikangikum and Poplar Hill, both in Ontario.

Northwestern Ojibwe

• Ethnologue code: OJB
• Main article: Northwestern Ojibwa language

The Northwestern dialect of Ojibwe is spoken from northwest of Lake Nipigon, north of the Lake of the Woods area, and south of the Berens River to the Manitoba border. Communities identified as Northwestern include (from east to west) Armstrong, Osnaburgh House, Cat Lake, Lac Seul, Grassy Narrows, and Red Lake.

Language Code Table

This table shows how the dialects are classified in different language resources.

Regional Dictionaries

This table shows how different regional dictionaries classify the dialects.