Compound Nouns

Noun + Noun

Observation
ᒥᔥᑎᒄ ᓈᐹᐤ ᒥᔥᑎᑯᓈᐹᐤ
mishtikw + naapaau = Click here to hear this word mishtikunaapaau
wood man carpenter

The noun ᒥᔥᑎᑯᓈᐹᐤ mishtikunaapaau is made up of two nouns: the words ᒥᔥᑎᒄ mishtikw and the word ᓈᐹᐤ naapau. Such a noun is called a compound noun. It is made by adding two nouns together. There can be other ways of making compound nouns. In [noun + noun] compounds, the independent (long) forms of the noun are joined together. The compound noun has the second noun as its head, which means, for example, that a ᒥᔥᑎᑯᓈᐹᐤ mishtikunaapaau is a type of ᓈᐹᐤ naapaau. The second noun is the one that gives its gender (animate or inanimate) to the compound noun. Therefore, the noun ᒥᔥᑎᑯᓈᐹᐤ mishtikunaapaau is animate because ᓈᐹᐤ naapaau is animate.

Noun Noun Noun
ᐧᐋᐳᔓᔮᓐ ᓂᐹᑭᓐ ᐧᐋᐳᔓᔮᓂᐹᑭᓐ
waapushuyaan + nipaakin = Click here to hear this word waapushuyaanipaakin
rabbitskin blanket rabbitskin blanket
ᐧᐋᐱᔥᑖᓐ ᐧᐃᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ ᐧᐋᐱᔥᑖᓂᐧᐃᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ
waapishtaan + winihiikin = Click here to hear this word waapishtaaniwinihiikin
marten trap marten trap
ᓂᔅᒃ ᒫᔥᑖᒄ ᓂᔅᑭᒫᔥᑖᒄ
nisk + (n)imaashtaakw = Click here to hear this word niskimaashtaakw
goose smoke-dried carcass dried goose
ᓂᒫᔅ ᓂᒫᔥᑖᒄ ᓂᒫᓯᒫᔥᑖᒄ
nimaas + (n)imaashtaakw = Click here to hear this word nimaasimaashtaakw
fish smoke-dried carcass dried fish
ᓂᒥᔅᒌᐤ ᐃᔥᑯᑌᐤ ᓂᒥᔅᒌᐅᔥᑯᑌᐤ
nimischiiu + ishkutaau = Click here to hear this word nimischiiushkutaau
thunder fire electricity
ᒥᔥᑎᒄ ᓈᐹᐤ ᒥᔥᑎᑯᓈᐹᐤ
mishtikw + naapaau = Click here to hear this word mishtikunaapaau
wood man carpenter
ᐱᔮᓯᐤ (ᐅ)ᐲᐧᐄᐦ ᐱᔮᓯᐅᐲᐧᐄᐦ
piyaasiu + (u)piiwiih = Click here to hear this word piyaasiupiiwiih
fowl (his/her/its) feather fowl feather
ᒋᔥᑐᐦᒋᑭᓐ ᐱᒋᐤ ᒋᔥᑐᐦᒋᑭᓂᐱᒋᐤ
chishtuhchikin + pichiu = Click here to hear this word chishtuhchikinipichiu
violin gum violin resin
ᓂᐲ ᐊᔅᒋᐦᒄ ᓂᐲᐅᔅᒋᐦᒄ
nipii + aschihkw = Click here to hear this word nipiiuschihkw
water bucket water bucket
ᐱᒦ ᐊᔅᒋᐦᒄ ᐱᒦᐅᔅᒋᐦᒄ
pimii + aschihkw = Click here to hear this word pimiiuschihkw
grease bucket grease bucket

Sometimes the nouns themselves are already compounded or derived, either the left noun or the right noun:

ᐃᔥᑯᑖᐤ [ ᐅᑖᐹᓐ + ᐋᔅᒄ ] ᐃᔥᑯᑖᐅᑖᐹᓈᔅᒄ
ishkutaau + [ utaapaan + aaskw ] = ishkutaautaapaanaaskw
fire [ vehicle + long and rigid ] fire truck
[ ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ + ᐲᐧᐄ ] ᓲᑉ ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓂᐲᐧᐄᓲᑉ
[mishtikwaan + piiwii] + suup = mishtikwaanipiiwiisuup
[ head + hair ] soap shampoo
[ ᐃᔥᑯᑖᐤ + ᐅᑖᐹᓐ ] ᒫᔅᑭᓂᐤ ᐃᔥᑯᑌᐅᑖᐹᓂᒫᔅᑭᓂᐤ
[ ishkutaau + utaapaan ] + maaskiniu = ishkutaautaapaanimaaskiniu
[ fire+vehicule ] path train track

Sometimes a shorter form of the noun in final position is used. For example, the noun ᓈᑖᐤ naapaau, also has a short form ᐋᐹᐤ -aapaau, which is used to create the word ᐊᑎᐦᐧᑳᐹᐤ atihkwaapaau caribou man. The short form for ᒥᔅᒋᓯᓐ mischisin is ᐃᔅᒋᓯᓐ -ischisin.

ᐊᑎᐦᒄ ᐋᐹᐤ ᐊᑎᐦᐧᑳᐹᐤ
atihkw + aapaau = Click here to hear this word atihkwaapaau
caribou man caribou man
ᒨᓱᔮᓐ ᐃᔅᒋᓯᓐ ᒨᓱᔮᓂᔅᒋᓯᓐ
muusuyaan + ischisin = muusuyaanischisin
moosehide shoe moosehide moccasin

Dependent Noun + Noun

A dependent noun is one which always shows up with a personal prefix.  They are mostly either body parts or kinship terms, but there are a few others such as ᒦᐧᐃᑦ miiwit suitcase, container, box and ᒦᒡ miich home. They may form the first element of a compound noun but it seems to be mainly body part nouns which do so.

ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ ᐲᐧᐄᐦ ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓂᐲᐧᐄᐦ
mishtikwaan + piiwiih = mishtikwaanipiiwiih
head hair/fur/feathers hair
ᒥᑯᔫ ᐊᑯᐦᑉ ᒥᑯᔨᐧᐋᑯᐦᑉ
mikuyu + akuhp = Click here to hear this word mikuyiwaaukuhp
neck coat parka
ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ ᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ
mishtikwaan + nituhkuyin = Click here to hear this word mishtikwaanituhkuyin
head medicine head-ache pain-reliever
ᒦᐱᑦ ᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ ᒦᐱᑎᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ
miipit + nituhkuyin = Click here to hear this word miipitinituhkuyin
tooth medicine tooth-ache pain-reliever
ᒥᐦᑑᑲᐃ ᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ ᒥᐦᑑᑲᔨᓂᑐᐦᑯᔨᓐ
mihtuukai + nituhkuyin = mihtuukayinituhkuyin
ear medicine ear-ache pain-reliever