ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ
Plains Cree
Algic (Algonquian, Central, Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi)
Plains Cree (Nēhiyawēwin, "Cree language") is the largest of the Cree dialect continuum, the Y-dialect spoken across the Canadian Prairies. The Cree dialect chain (Plains crk → Woods cwd → Swampy csw → Moose crm → East cr-East/cr-James) shows progressive sound shifts of the Proto-Algonquian *l descendant: Plains has /j/ (y), Woods has /ð/, Swampy has /n/, etc. Plains Cree retains traditional polysynthetic Algonquian morphology with elaborate verb classification (animate/inanimate × transitive/intransitive). The Cree syllabary (developed 1840s by James Evans for Cree, adapted to Inuktitut, Ojibwe) is widely used.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Plains Cree
Water
ᓂᐱᕀ
/nipiː/
Fire
ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ
/iskoteːw/
Sun
ᐲᓯᒼ
/piːsim/
Moon
ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐃᐧᐲᓯᒼ
/tipiskaːwi piːsim/
Star
ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ
/acaːhkos/
Mother
ᓂᑳᐃᐧ
/nikaːwiː/
Father
ᓅᐦᑖᐃᐧ
/noːhtaːwiː/
I
ᓂᔭ
/niya/
You
ᑭᔭ
/kiya/
Name
ᐑᐦᐅᐏᐣ
/wiːhowin/
Eye
ᒥᐢᑮᓯᐠ
/miskiːsik/
Hand
ᒥᒋᒋᕀ
/micicij/
Heart
ᒥᑌᐦ
/miteːh/
Love
ᓵᑭᐦᐃᐍᐃᐧᐣ
/saːkihiweːwin/
Tree
ᒥᐢᑎᐠ
/mistik/
House
ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ
/waːskahikan/
Dog
ᐊᑎᒼ
/atim/
Cat
ᒥᓅᐢ
/minoːs/
Eat
ᒨᐍᐤ
/moːweːw/
Drink
ᒥᓂᐦᑴᐤ
/minihkweːw/
One
ᐯᔭᐠ
/peːjak/
Two
ᓃᓱ
/niːso/
Hello
ᑖᓂᓯ
/taːnisi/
Thank you
ᐦᐊᕀ ᐦᐊᕀ
/haj haj/
Good
ᒥᔼᓯᐣ
/mijwaːsin/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Algic (Algonquian, Central, Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi) languages
| Meaning | Plains Cree | Cree (Plains) | Atikamekw | Menominee | Ojibwe | Munsee | Algonquin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᓂᐱᕀ /nipiː/ | ᓂᐱᕀ /nipij/ | nipi /nipi/ | nepāew /nəpaːew/ | nibi /nibi/ | mpíi /mbiː/ | nibì /nɪbiː/ |
| Fire | ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ /iskoteːw/ | ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ /iskoteːw/ | ickoteo /iʃkoteo/ | eskotēw /eskoteːw/ | ishkode /iʃkode/ | lúhsuw /luhsuw/ | ishkotè /ɪʃkɔteː/ |
| Sun | ᐲᓯᒼ /piːsim/ | ᐲᓯᒼ /piːsim/ | pisim /pisim/ | kēsoq /keːsoʔ/ | giizis /ɡiːzis/ | kíishux /kiːʃux/ | kìzis /kiːzɪs/ |
| Moon | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐃᐧᐲᓯᒼ /tipiskaːwi piːsim/ | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐍᐲᓯᒼ /tipiskaːwi piːsim/ | tipikaw pisim /tipikaw pisim/ | tepāhkēsoq /tepaːhkeːsoʔ/ | dibik-giizis /dibik ɡiːzis/ | nipáhum /nipahum/ | tibik-kìzis /tɪbɪkkiːzɪs/ |
| Star | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ /acaːhkos/ | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ /acaːhkos/ | atcakos /atʃakos/ | anaeq /anɛːʔ/ | anang /anaŋ/ | alaánkw /alaːŋkʷ/ | anang /aˈnaŋ/ |
| Mother | ᓂᑳᐃᐧ /nikaːwiː/ | ᓂᑲᐎᕀ /nikaːwij/ | okawi /okawi/ | nekīah /nekiːah/ | nimaamaa /nimaːmaː/ | nkáhees /ŋkaheːs/ | ningà /nɪŋɡaː/ |
| Father | ᓅᐦᑖᐃᐧ /noːhtaːwiː/ | ᓄᐦᑖᐎᕀ /noːhtaːwij/ | ohi /ohi/ | nōhnāeh /noːhnaːeh/ | indede /indede/ | nóoxw /noːxw/ | nòs /nɔːs/ |
| I | ᓂᔭ /niya/ | ᓂᔭ /nija/ | nir /niɾ/ | nenah /nɛnah/ | niin /niːn/ | nii /niː/ | niin /niːn/ |
| You | ᑭᔭ /kiya/ | ᑭᔭ /kija/ | kir /kiɾ/ | kenah /kɛnah/ | giin /ɡiːn/ | kii /kiː/ | giin /ɡiːn/ |
| Name | ᐑᐦᐅᐏᐣ /wiːhowin/ | ᐏᐦᐅᐎᐣ /wiːhowin/ | wirowin /wiɾowin/ | -esian /ɛsian/ | izhinikaazowin /ɪʒɪnɪkaːzowɪn/ | wiinzuwaakan /wiːnzuwaːkan/ | wiinzowin /wiːnzowin/ |
| Eye | ᒥᐢᑮᓯᐠ /miskiːsik/ | ᒥᐢᑮᓯᐠ /miskiːsik/ | mickisikw /mitʃkisikʷ/ | oskēsek /oskeːsek/ | oshkiinzhig /oʃkiːnʒiɡ/ | wíikšiit /wiːkʃiːt/ | oshkìnzhig /ɔʃkiːnʒɪɡ/ |
| Hand | ᒥᒋᒋᕀ /micicij/ | ᒥᒋᒋᕀ /miciciːj/ | kicikon /kitʃikon/ | onehkeh /onehkeh/ | ninij /ninidʒ/ | mléelii /mleːliː/ | ninj /nɪndʒ/ |
| Heart | ᒥᑌᐦ /miteːh/ | ᒥᑌᐦ /miteːh/ | mite /mite/ | otēh /oteːh/ | odeʼ /odeʔ/ | ulehyii /ulehjiː/ | odè /ɔdeː/ |
| Love | ᓵᑭᐦᐃᐍᐃᐧᐣ /saːkihiweːwin/ | ᓵᑭᐦᐃᐍᐏᐣ /saːkihiweːwin/ | sakitewin /sakitewin/ | kesāenemāew /kesaːenemaːew/ | zaagiʼiwewin /zaːɡiʔiweːwin/ | ahóoluw /ahoːluw/ | sàgi'à /saːɡiʔaː/ |
| Tree | ᒥᐢᑎᐠ /mistik/ | ᒥᐢᑎᐠ /mistik/ | mihtikw /mihtikw/ | metekoh /metekoh/ | mitig /mitiɡ/ | hìttuk /hitːuk/ | mitig /mɪtɪɡ/ |
| House | ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ /waːskahikan/ | ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ /waːskahikan/ | miciwap /mitʃiwap/ | wīkewam /wiːkewam/ | wiigiwaam /wiːɡiwaːm/ | wíikwam /wiːkwam/ | wàkàigan /waːkaːiɡan/ |
| Dog | ᐊᑎᒼ /atim/ | ᐊᑎᒼ /atim/ | atim /atim/ | anēm /aneːm/ | animosh /animoʃ/ | mwáakaneew /mwaːkaneːw/ | animosh /anɪmɔʃ/ |
| Cat | ᒥᓅᐢ /minoːs/ | ᒥᓅᐢ /minoːs/ | minoc /minotʃ/ | — /—/ | gaazhagens /ɡaːʒaɡens/ | póshiis /poʃiːs/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | ᒨᐍᐤ /moːweːw/ | ᒨᐍᐤ /moːweːw/ | mitikwa /mitikwa/ | mīcew /miːtʃew/ | wiisini /wiːsini/ | mit /mit/ | wìsini /wiːsɪni/ |
| Drink | ᒥᓂᐦᑴᐤ /minihkweːw/ | ᒥᓂᐦᐠᐌᐤ /minihkweːw/ | minikwa /minikwa/ | menew /menew/ | minikwe /minikwe/ | mneew /mneew/ | minikwe /mɪnɪkwe/ |
| One | ᐯᔭᐠ /peːjak/ | ᐯᔭᐠ /peːjak/ | peikw /pejkʷ/ | nekot /nekot/ | bezhig /beʒiɡ/ | ngwútii /ŋɡwutiː/ | pejig /peʒɪɡ/ |
| Two | ᓃᓱ /niːso/ | ᓃᓱ /niːso/ | niso /niso/ | nīs /niːs/ | niizh /niːʒ/ | niisha /niːʃa/ | niizh /niːʒ/ |
| Hello | ᑖᓂᓯ /taːnisi/ | ᑖᓂᓯ /taːnisi/ | kwei /kwej/ | posoh /posoh/ | boozhoo /boːʒoː/ | hé /heː/ | Kwe /kwe/ |
| Thank you | ᐦᐊᕀ ᐦᐊᕀ /haj haj/ | ᑭᓇᓈᐢᑯᒥᑎᐣ /kinanaːskomitin/ | mikwetc /mikwetʃ/ | wāēwāēnen /wɛːwɛːnen/ | miigwech /miːɡʷetʃ/ | wanìshi /waniʃi/ | Migwech /mɪɡwetʃ/ |
| Good | ᒥᔼᓯᐣ /mijwaːsin/ | ᒥᔫ /mijo/ | miloci /milotʃi/ | menwāewen /menwaːewen/ | mino /mino/ | weltóok /weltoːk/ | mino /mɪnɔ/ |
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