Spelling East Cree (Northern) – ᒋᐦᑭᔥᑖᑭᓐᐦ The Use of Dots

Dots over a syllabic symbol

The dot above a syllabic symbol marks a long vowel.

Short (no dot) Long (dot)
i ᔥᑯᑖᐤ ii ᔨᔨᐤ
wi ᔮᑭᓐ wii ᒥᓂᒌ
pi ᒥᐱᔨᐤ pii ᒥᐱᔨᐤ
ti ᐹᓐ tii ᑆᑦ
ki ᐱᑦ kii ᐅᔑ
chi ᓍᐤ chii ᓈᐤ
mi ᒋᓯᐤ mii ᒋᓲ
ni nii
si ᓯᔅ sii ᐅᑏᔅ
shi ᑳᒄ shii ᑭᐦᐆ
u ᐦᐱᐦᐆ uu
pu ᐙᑖᐤ puu ᓃᐤ
tu ᐃᐦᑎᒻ tuu ᐦᐙᓐ
ku ᑎᐲᐤ kuu
chu ᐙᔥᒃ chuu ᐄᔨᔨᐤ
mu ᓵᔅᑰ muu
nu ᐎᒡ nuu ᐦᑖᐱᔨᐤ
su ᐦᑖᐤ suu ᐱᐦᑎᒻ
shu ᓈᐤ shuu ᔓᐎᐦᒀᐤ
yu ᔅᑭᒥᑳᐤ yuu ᑎᓐ
a ᒋᒄ aa ᐦᒋᒄ
a ᐱᐤ waa
a ᐅᑖᒥᐦ paa ᐦᑳᓂᒻ
a ᐋᐦ ᒋᐱᐦᒥᓐ taa ᐦᒋᓈᐤ
kaa ᔅᒋᓈᐤ
chaa ᒀᓐ
maa ᒌᐤ
naa ᓯᐹᐤ
saa ᒋᐙᐱᒫᐤ
shaa ᒀᔨᒨ
yaa ᔮᐤ

Note: there is a difference in pronunciation between Wemindji and Chisasibi for the command (imperative) verbs in the VTI (acting on an inanimate object) conjugation, such as ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐊᒻ᙮ The command form for ‘you (singular) hit it’ is ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐋᐦ for Wemindji, but sounds like ᐅᑖᒫᐦ for Chisasibi.

ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐋᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒥᔥᑎᒄ᙮ ᐅᑖᒫᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒥᔥᑎᒄ᙮

Dots in front of a syllabic symbol

Dots are written before a syllabic symbol and indicate a w sound before the vowel, and after the consonant.

No w (no dot in front) w (dot in front)
i ᔥᑯᑖᐤ wi
ii ᐹᑎᓐ wii ᐱᒡ
aa ᐱᑎᓐ waa ᐱᓐ
paa ᑖᐤ pwaa ᑭᑦ
taa ᐦᒋᓈᐤ twaa ᔑᓐ
kaa ᐙᐤ kwaa ᐱᒑᐤ
chaa chwaa
maa mwaa
naa nwaa
yaa ywaa ᔑᐤ

See also: Spelling East Cree – Southern Dialect – ᒋᐦᑲᔥᑖᑲᓐᐦ The Use of Dots