Spelling East Cree (Southern) – Syllabic Finals

How the small syllabic symbols change when an ending is added

Words ending with ᑉ, ᑦ, ᒃ, ᒡ, ᒻ, ᓐ, ᔅ, ᔥ

Animate Plural Suffix

When you add this ending, just make the final big, then add . Use ᐸ, ᑕ, ᑲ, ᒪ, ᓇ, ᓴ, ᔕ.

Singular Plural
ᔒᔒ ᔒᔒᐸᒡ
ᐄᔮᔥ / ᐄᓈᔥ ᐄᔮᔥᑕᒡ / ᐄᓈᔥᑕᒡ
ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉᑲᒡ
ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵᒪᒡ
ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳᓇᒡ
ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣᓴᒡ
ᐊᐧᐋ ᐊᐧᐋᔕᒡ
Locative Suffix

When you add the locative ending, meaning ‘in, at, to, on‘ etc, change the small ᑉ, ᑦ, ᒃ, ᒡ, ᒻ, ᓐ, ᔅ, ᔥ to big ᐱ, ᑎ, ᑭ, ᒋ, ᒥ, ᓂ, ᓯ, ᔑ.

Word Word + Locative
ᔒᔒ ᔒᔒᐱᐦᒡ
ᐧᐹᑲ ᐧᐹᑲᑎᐦᒡ
ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉᑭᐦᒡ
ᐧᐋ ᐧᐋᒋᐦᒡ
ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵᒥᐦᒡ
ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳᓂᐦᒡ
ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣᓯᐦᒡ
ᓃᐲ ᓃᐲᔑᐦᒡ
Diminutive Suffix

When you add the diminutive ending you usually change the small syllabic final ᑉ, ᑦ, ᒃ, ᒡ, ᒻ, ᓐ to big ᐱ, ᑎ, ᑭ, ᒋ, ᒥ, ᓂ.

Word Word + Diminutive
ᐊᑯᐦ ᐊᑯᐦᐱᔥ
ᒥᐦ ᒥᐦᑎᔥ
ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉᑭᔥ
ᐧᐋ ᐧᐋᒋᔥ
ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵᒥᔥ
ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳᓂᔥ

Be careful with the diminutive of words where final changes to ᔑᔥ or . In addition, the following changes may take place ᑎ, ᑏ, ᑐ, ᑑ, ᑖ, ᐧᑖ change to ᒋ, ᒌ, ᒍ, ᒎ, ᒑ, ᐧᒑ and ᓯ, ᓰ, ᓱ, ᓲ, ᓵ, ᐧᓵ change to ᔑ, ᔒ, ᔓ, ᔔ, ᔖ, ᐧᔖ.

Word Word + Diminutive
ᒥᑖ ᒥᑖ
ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣᔑᔥ
ᐸᔨᒌ ᐸᔨᒌ
ᓰᐅᑏ ᓰᐅᑏ
ᐹᓐ ᓂᔥ

Another exception is the change of final to in a few words:

ᓂᔅ ᓂᔅᒋᔥ
Possessive Suffix

When the possessive endings are added, little ᑉ, ᑦ, ᒃ, ᒡ, ᓪ, ᓐ, ᔅ, ᔥ become big ᐱ, ᑎ, ᑭ, ᒋ, ᒥ, ᓂ, ᓯ, ᔑ.

Word Word + Possessive
ᔒᔒ ᓂᔒᔒᐱᒻ
ᒥᐦ ᓂᒥᐦᑎᒻ
ᐹᓂᑮ ᓂᐹᓂᑮᑭᒻ
ᐧᐋ ᓂᐧᐋᒋᒻ
ᒉᑳ ᓂᒉᐧᑳᓂᒻ
ᓇᒣ ᓂᓇᒣᓯᒻ
ᐊᒋᑳ ᓂᑕᒋᑳᔑᒻ

Here is a summary of how the finals will change:

Animate Plural Diminutive Locative Possessive
ᔒᔒ ᔒᔒ ᔒᔒ ᔒᔒᐦᒡ ᓂᔒᔒ
ᐅᒑ ᐅᒑ ᐅᒑ ᐅᒑᐦᒡ ᓅᒑ
ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉ ᐅᒉᐦᒡ ᓅᒉ
ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵ ᐊᓵᐦᒡ
ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳ ᐁᒥᐦᐧᑳᐦᒡ
ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣᔥ , ᓇᒣ ᓇᒣᐦᒡ ᓂᓇᒣ
ᐊᒋᑳ ᐊᒋᑳ ᐊᒋᑳ ᐊᒋᑳᐦᒡ ᓂᑕᒋᑳ

Words ending with

The little changes to big when an ending is added.

Animate Plural Diminutive Locative/Simulative Possessive
ᐊᑎᐦ ᐊᑎᐦ ᐊᑎᐦ ᐊᑎᐦᐦᒡ ᓂᑕᑎᐦ
ᐊᒥᔅ ᐊᒥᔅ ᐊᒥᔅ ᐊᒥᔅᐦᒡ ᓂᑕᒥᔅ
ᐊᔅᒋᐦ ᐊᔅᒋᐦ ᐊᔅᒋᐦ ᐊᔅᒋᐦᐦᒡ ᓂᐲᐧᔮᐱᔅ
ᐧᐋᐸᔅ ᐧᐋᐸᔅ ᐧᐋᐸᔅ ᐧᐋᐸᔅᐦᒡ ᓂᐧᐋᐸᔅ
ᐧᒫ ᐧᒫ ᐧᒫ ᐧᒫᐦᒡ ᓂᐧᒫ

Words ending with

When the animate plural ending is added to a noun, the becomes .

ᓈᐯ ᓈᐯᐅᒡ
ᒫᓂᑌ ᒫᓂᑌᐅᒡ

When the animate plural ending is added to a verb, the becomes .

ᓂᐹ ᓂᐹᐅᒡ
ᒣᑕᐧᐁ ᒣᑕᐧᐁᐅᒡ
ᐧᐋᐸᒣ ᐧᐋᐸᒣᐅᒡ
ᑯᑕᐲ ᑯᑕᐲᐅᒡ

When the diminutive, locative or possessive ending is added to a noun, the is dropped.

Diminutive Locative/Simulative Possessive
ᓈᐯ ᓈᐯᔥ ᓈᐯᐦᒡ ᓂᓈᐯᒻ
ᒫᓂᑌ ᒫᓂᑌᔥ ᒫᓂᑌᐦᒡ ᓂᒫᓂᑌᒻ
ᐅᒋᒫ ᐅᒋᒫᔥ ᐅᒋᒫᐦᒡ ᓅᒋᒫᒻ

If the suffix is (h), then the is kept.

ᓈᐯ ᓈᐯᐤᐦ
ᒫᓂᑌ ᒫᓂᑌᐤᐦ

Some Exceptions

Be careful of the following words where becomes , becomes and becomes when an ending is added.

Animate Plural Locative/Simulative Diminutive
ᐊᑎ ᐊᑎᒧᒡ ᐊᑎᒧᐦᒡ ᐊᒋᒧᔥ
ᐲᓯ ᐲᓯᒧᒡ ᐲᓯᒧᐦᒡ ᐲᓯᒧᔥ
ᓱᒡ ᓱᐦᒡ ᔓᔥ
ᐧᐋᐳ ᐧᐋᐳᔓᒡ ᐧᐋᐳᔓᐦᒡ ᐧᐋᐳᔓᔥ

More examples of words with these endings:

ᐊᑎᒻ ᐲᓯᒻ ᒨᔅ ᐧᐋᐳᔥ
ᐊᑎᐦᑳᓐ ᐲᓯᐦᑳᓐ ᔮᓐ ᐧᐋᐳᔮᓐ
ᐊᑎᑖᐹᓈᔮᐲ ᐲᓯᓯᓇᐦᐄᑲᓐ ᒥᓐ ᐧᐋᐳᐦᑳᓐ
ᐊᑎᐲᐧᐄᐦ ᐲᓯᐧᐁᔮᐲ ᔮᔅ ᐧᐋᐳᒦᒋᒻ
ᐊᑎᑳᑦ ᐲᓯᑖᐦᒡ ᐧᐋᐳᒣᐤ
ᐊᑎᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ ᐲᓯ ᐧᐋᐳᔅᑯᓐ
ᐊᑎᔮᓐ ᐲᓯ ᓂᒨ ᐧᐋᐳᔅᒋᐦᒄ
ᐊᑎᑖᐹᓈᔅᒄ ᐲᓯᐦᒡ ᐦᒡ ᐧᐋᐳᐳᑎᓂᔑᒡ
ᐊᑎᑲᒥᒄ ᐧᐋᐳᒣᔮᐧᑳᓐ
ᐊᑎᒦᒋᒻ ᐧᐋᐳᑕᒋᔒ
ᐧᐋᐳᓰᐸᐃ

See also: Spelling East Cree – Northern Dialect – How the syllabic finals change when an ending is added