Spelling East Cree (Southern) – New spellings as of summer 2015

Introduction

The new spellings here are ones that are in addition to those noted in earlier sections.

ᑲᔥᑰᓐ and ᑯᓐ

The verbs of the ‘it is foggy’ family are now all spelled as ᑲᔥᑰᓐ kashkuun (and not ᑲᔥᑯᐎᓐ kashkuwin)

ᑲᔥᑰᓐ kashkuun
ᑲᔥᑰᓈᐸᓐ kashkuunaapan
ᑲᔥᑰᓇᐯᔥᑖᓐ kashkuunapeshtaan
ᓯᔅᒋᑲᔥᑰᓄᐸᔫ sischikashkuunipayû

Note: The noun for cloud is ᑲᔥᑯᐎᓐ kashkuwin.

Nouns for ‘kinds of cloud’ end in ᐊᔅᒄ -askw:

ᑲᔥᑰᓇᔅᒄ kashkuunaskw
ᔫᑎᓇᔅᒄ yuutinaskw

Verbs for kinds of clouds end in ᑯᓐ -kun (with a short u)

ᐱᒥᔥᑯᓐ pimiskun
ᓂᓂᒋᔅᑯᓐ ninichikuskun
ᔭᑯᔅᑯᓐ yakuskun
ᐯᑎᔅᑯᓐ petiskun

ᒋᒨᓐ

The words for ‘it is raining’ family are now spelled as ᒋᒨᓐ chimuun (and not as ᒋᒧᐧᐃᓐ chimuwin)

ᒋᒨᓐ it is raining
ᒋᒨᓈᐴ rainwater
ᒋᒨᓇᑯᐦᑉ raincoat
ᒋᒨᓇᔥᑐᑎᓐ rain hat
ᒋᒨᓀᐅᒋᔒᔥ Swainson’s thrush bird Catharus ustulatus, hermit thrush Catharus guttatus
ᒋᒨᓂᐸᔨᒌᔅ rain pants
ᒋᒨᓂᐸᔫ it is a sudden rain, it suddenly begins to rain
ᒋᒨᓂᐱᔦᔒᔥ kind of warbler, literally ‘rain bird’
ᒋᒨᓂᔔ s/he is caught in the rain
ᒪᐧᑌᒋᒨᓐ there is a sound of rain

-ᒎᓐ or -ᑰᓐ

VII verbs that used to end in -ᒍᐃᐧᓐ or -ᑯᐧᐃᓐ are now spelled -ᒎᓐ or -ᑰᓐ. As noted above, these words include the ᒋᒨᓐ ‘rain’ family. The remaining ones have the ending -ᒎᓐ ‘current’ , -ᑰᓐ ‘foggy’ or -ᒋᑰᓐ ‘drip’

ᐋᒥᒎᓐ it is where the current starts to descend
ᐋᐱᒥᒎᓐ the current is slower, in a backwater
ᐊᐧᑳᒎᓐ the current meets the bank
ᐊᑎᒥᒌᐧᐁᒎᓐ tide goes back out
ᒌᓂᐧᑳᓂᒎᓐ it is an eddy of water, the current spins around
ᒌᔅᑳᐱᔅᒉᒎᓐ it is a steep rock falls, cascade
ᒌᔅᑳᐱᔅᒋᒎᓐ it is a current, rapids over a high rock, a steeply falling current
ᒌᐧᐁᒎᓐ the tide goes out
ᒋᐳᓯᑯᒎᓐ it is an ice jam
ᒋᔅᑖᒎᓐ it is where the current is strongest, it is a main current
ᒋᔑᒎᓐ it is a swift current
ᒋᐧᔐᐧᐁᒎᓐ the noise of the rapids is loud
ᑲᔅᒋᓭᒎᓐ it is steep, high falls
ᑯᐃᔅᑯᒎᓐ the water flows straight
ᒪᒨᔅᒋᒎᓐ it (liquid) bubbles, boils up here and there
ᒪᐧᑌᐧᐁᒎᓐ there is a sound of running water in a swift current
ᒥᓂᔥᑎᑯᒎᓐ the current flows on either side of an island
ᒨᔅᒋᒎᓐ it flows out, as water out of a spring
ᓈᑕᑳᒣᒎᓐ it is an on-shore current
ᓃᐦᑎᒍᐧᐁᒎᓐ it flows and falls over a cliff, rocks
ᐹᑯᔅᑌᒎᓐ the water is very shallow in the rapids, the rapids are almost dry
ᐹᐧᑳᐱᔅᒋᒎᓐ the water is very shallow in the rapids, the rapids are almost dry
ᐹᐦᐹᐧᑳᓈᒥᔅᒋᒎᓐ the water is very shallow in the rapids, is going dry
ᐹᓯᒋᒎᓐ the current flows over it (a dam)
ᐯᒋᒎᓐ the tide comes in
ᐯᐯᒥᒎᓐ the water, current flows in a twisted way
ᐯᔓᐧᐁᒎᓐ the rapids sound near
ᐲᒪᑳᒣᒎᓐ the rapids are winding
ᐲᔥᑌᐅᒎᓐ the current foams up
ᐲᔥᑌᐧᐋᑲᒥᒎᓐ the current creates foam in the water
ᐲᐦᑖᒎᓐ it is a long rapids
ᐱᒥᒎᓐ there is a current
ᐱᓂᓱᐧᐁᒎᓐ it flows down the bank, downhill
ᐱᐧᓭᐧᐁᒎᓐ the sound of the rapids echoes
ᐴᓯᒎᓐ the water pours over into the canoe as it travels
ᓵᒉᐧᐁᒎᓐ it flows out of something behind a point of land
ᓵᒋᒎᓐ it flows out of something, it is an inlet to a lake
ᓲᔔᒎᓐ the current flows smoothly
ᔒᐯᐧᐁᒎᓐ the current, tide cuts a new channel
ᔒᐲᔑᒎᓐ it is a rivulet, flowing water (ex after rain)
ᑖᔅᒋᓯᑯᒎᓐ the current makes a split in the ice
ᐅᒋᐦᒋᒎᓐ the river flows from
ᐅᐱᒎᓐ it is a narrows in a current
ᐅᐦᒋᒎᓐ the current starts from there
ᐧᐋᔨᒎᓐ the water has a depression on it caused by its swirl
ᔦᑳᐧᐋᒥᔅᒉᒎᓐ the river runs in a bed of sand
ᑲᔥᑰᓐ it is foggy
ᑲᔥᑰᓈᐸᓐ it is a misty, foggy morning
ᐹᐸᐦᒋᑰᓐ it (ex. house) is dripping

Still to be decided:

ᐱᔦᐱᐦᑯᐧᐃᓐ OR ᐱᔦᐱᐦᑰᓐ there is soot on it
ᐃᔥᐱᒥᐦᑕᑯᐧᐃᓐ OR ᐃᔥᐱᒥᐦᑕᑰᓐ it has an upstairs
ᐄᓃᐦᑐᐧᐃᓐ OR ᐄᓃᐦᑑᓐ it seems alive

‘flesh’ and ‘meat’

Do not confuse ᐧᐃᔮᔅ wiyaas ‘meat’ with ᐅᔮᔅ ‘flesh of the body’, which is a dependent noun:

flesh of body meat to be eaten
ᐅᔮᔅ uyaas his own flesh ᐧᐃᔮᔅ wiyaas meat
ᓂᔮᔅ niyaas my flesh ᓅᔮᓯᒻ nuuyaasim my piece of meat
ᒋᔮᔅ chiyaas your flesh ᑰᔮᓯᒻ kuuyaasim your piece of meat
ᐆᔮᓯᒻ uuyaasim her piece of meat

The compound words use the spellings with ᐅᔮᔅ –uyaas

ᒨᓱᔮᔅ muusuyaas
ᐊᑎᐦᑯᔮᔅ atihkuyaas
ᑰᑰᐦᔓᔮᔅ kuuhkuushuyaas
ᐊᒥᔅᑯᔮᔅ amiskuyaas
ᐧᐊᒋᔅᑯᔮᔅ wachiskuyaas
ᒥᔅᑐᓱᔮᔅ mistusuyaas
ᐹᔥᑌᐅᔮᔅ paashteuyaas
ᒋᔐᔮᑯᔮᔅ chisheyakuyaas
ᑳᑰᔓᔮᔅ kaakuushuyaas
ᑳᑯᔮᔅ kaakuyaas
ᒪᔅᑯᔮᔅ maskuyaas

ᒦᐧᐊᑦ

The word for ‘box’ is now spelled as ᒦᐧᐊᑦ miiwat (and not ᒦᐎᑦ miiwit) and all words containing the ending ᐧᐊᑦ -wat referring to a container will be changed as well. These words are listed on Syllabic symbols not to forget to write.

ᐄᒥᓐ

ᐧᐄᒥᓐ wiimi is now spelled with ᐧᐄ- (and not with ᐧᐃᔨ wiyi-) so that it matches the name of Wemindji

ᐧᐄᒥᓐ wiimin
ᐧᐄᒥᓈᐦᑎᒄ wiiminaahtikw
ᐧᐄᒥᓂᒌ wiiminichii

ᐅᔦᐊᔥ

ᐅᔦᐊᔥ uyesh is now spelled with u- and not with ᐧᐃ wi-

ᐅᔦᔥ uyesh
ᐅᔦᔥᑌᐦ uyeshteh

but ᐧᐃᔦᔥ wiyesh, which can be a command to a child will use ᐧᐃᔾ wiy-

ᐧᐋᒋᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᒋᓇᒻ

The Inland spelling of ᐧᐋᑎᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᑎᓇᒻ is wrong and these words should be spelled as ᐧᐋᒋᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᒋᓇᒻ; the sound -ᒋᓐ- can be pronounced as -ᑎᓐ- in many words but should not be written that way. An example is the word ᐧᐋᒋᓈᑲᓐ which is often pronouncd in fast speech as ᐧᐋᑎᐋᑲᓐ.

-ᓈᓅ

Verbs ending in -ᓈᓅ -naanuu are spelled this way in the conjunct forms, and not as -ᓈᓄᐧᐃ- or -ᓈᓂᐧᐃ- as in the northern dialect.

  • ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓄᐦᒡ
  • ᐁ ᓂᑲᒧᓈᓄᐦᒡ

Note that a shorter form -nuu is used for verbs which end with ᐁᐤ -eu or ᐋᐤ -aau:

  • ᑳ ᒣᑕᐧᐋᓅᐦᒡ
  • ᑳᒌ ᓂᐹᓅᐦᒡ

The inland dialect often adds ‘h’ before ‘ch’ in certain conjunct forms, but the Coastal people tend to leave it out. (Note: the conjugation guide contains the h, #11, 12a, 12b)

Coastal Inland
ᐁ ᓂᒥᓈᓅᒡ ᐁ ᓂᒥᓈᓅᐦᒡ
ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓅᒡ ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓅᐦᒡ
ᑳ ᑕᑯᔑᓈᓅᒡ ᑳ ᑕᑯᔑᓈᓅᐦᒡ

The words for ‘wash’ are now spelled with and not ᐧᐹ :

New spelling Old spelling
ᒋᔥᑖᐅᑖᐤ ᒋᔥᑖᑆᐅᑖᐤ
ᒋᔥᑖᐹᐧᐃᔨᓲ ᒋᔥᑖᑆᐧᐃᔨᓲ
ᒣᔥᑖᐅᑖᐤ ᒣᔥᑖᑆᐅᑖᐤ
ᒥᔮᐅᒉᐤ ᒥᔻᑆᐅᒉᐤ