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[[Skeudenn:Ojibwe_Language_Map.png|250px|thumb|left|Takad istorel an Ojibweg]]
Ur [[Yezhoù aljek|yezh aljek]] eus is-skourr eus ar [[yezhoù ojibwek]] eo an '''ojibweg''' (ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒧᐎᓐ ''Anishinaabemowin'' [[LFE]]: [ənɪʃɪnaːbeːmoɰɪn]), komzet gant 55.000 den en holl e [[Manitoba]], [[Ontario]] ha [[Kebek]] e [[Kanada]] (45.000 den) hag e [[Minnesota]], [[Wisconsin ha [[Michigan]] er [[Stadoù-Unanet]] (10.000 den).
third most commonly spoken Native language in [[Canada]] (after [[Cree language|Cree]] and [[Inuktitut]]), and the fourth most spoken in North America (behind [[Navajo language|Navajo]], Cree, and Inuktitut).
It is spoken by the [[Ojibwa|Ojibwe people]] ([[Anishinaabe]]g). As their fur trading with the French increased the Ojibwes’ power, the language became the trade language of the Great Lakes region, and was for hundreds of years an extremely significant presence in the northern US. In the Ojibwe language, the proper term for itself is ''Anishinaabemowin'' or ''Nishnaabemwin'', which includes the [[Algonquin language]] and Mississauga language, though they are not considered Ojibwa due to not being part of the [[Council of Three Fires]]. Ojibwa forms of Anishinaabemowin are often called ''Ojibwemowin'' and Saulteaux form as ''Nakawêmowin''. Many consider the Severn Ojibwe as a separate language functioning as a transitional language between Ojibwe and [[Cree language|Cree]]; Severn Ojibwe call themselves ''Anishinini'' and their language as ''Anishininimowin''.
* [[Ojibweg Severn]]
* [[Odawaeg]] (''Ottawa'')
Ojibwe has quite a few divergent dialects. The primary ones are [[Nipissing language|Nipissing]], Plains Ojibwe ([[Saulteaux]]), [[Eastern Ojibwe]] (Mississauga), [[Northern Ojibwe]], [[Odawa language|Odaawaa]] (Ottawa), [[Severn Ojibwe]] (Oji-Cree), and [[Southwestern Ojibwe]] (Chippewa). [[Algonquin language|Algonquin]] is considered by some to be a particularly divergent dialect of Ojibwe, and by others to be a distinct language which is very similar to Ojibwe. This article deals primarily with the dialect spoken in the northern United States, around Minnesota and Wisconsin, Southwestern Ojibwe. Therefore, some of the descriptions given here will not necessarily hold true for other dialects of Ojibwe. A defining characteristic of many of the more northern and eastern dialects is that they exhibit a great deal of vowel [[syncope]], the deletion of vowels in certain positions within a word. In these dialects, generally all unstressed vowels are lost (see the article on [[Ojibwe phonology#Prosody|Ojibwe phonology]] for a discussion of Ojibwe stress). For example, the name for the language itself in Odaawaa is ''Nishnaabemwin'', where the unstressed vowels from ''<u>A</u>nish<u>i</u>naabem<u>o</u>win'' have been lost. Though [[Potawatomi language|Potawatomi]] was at one time part of the Ojibwe language, due to development of significant enough differences in the language since the contact period, it is now considered a separate language; however, among the Anishinaabeg, many still considers the Potawatomi language (known as ''Boodewaadamiimowin'' or ''Bodéwadmimwin'') as a dialect of ''Anishinaabemowin''.
==Phonology==
Ojibwe dialects generally have 18 consonants. [[Obstruent]]s are often said to have a [[lenis]]/[[fortis]] contrast, where those written as [[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]] are pronounced more strongly, significantly longer in duration, and often [[Aspiration (linguistics)|aspirated]] or pre-aspirated, while those written as [[Voiced consonant|voiced]] are pronounced less strongly and significantly longer in duration. For many communities, however, the distinction has become a simple voiced/voiceless one.
There are three [[Vowel length|short vowel]]s, /i a o/, and three corresponding long vowels, {{IPA|/iː aː oː/}}, as well as a fourth long vowel which lacks a corresponding short vowel, {{IPA|/eː/}}. The short vowels differ in quality as well as quantity from the long vowels, are phonetically closer to {{IPA|[ɪ]}}, {{IPA|[ə]~[ʌ]}}, and {{IPA|[o]~[ʊ]}}. {{IPA|/oː/}} is pronounced {{IPA|/uː/}} for many speakers, and {{IPA|/eː/}} is for many {{IPA|/ɛː/}}. There are also [[nasal vowel]]s, which are comparatively rare.
With regards to stress, Ojibwe divides words into metrical "feet," each foot containing a strong syllable and (if two-syllables long) a weak syllable. The strong syllables all receive at least secondary stress. In general, the strong syllable in the third foot from the end of a word receives the primary stress. In many dialects, unstressed vowels are frequently lost or change quality.
==Grammar==
Like many American Indian languages, Ojibwe is [[polysynthetic]], meaning it exhibits a great deal of [[Synthetic language|synthesis]] and a very high [[morpheme]]-to-word ratio. It is [[Agglutinative language|agglutinating]], and thus builds up words by stringing morpheme after morpheme together, rather than having several affixes, each of which carry numerous different pieces of information.
There is a distinction between two different types of [[third person]], the ''proximate'' (the third person deemed more important or in-focus) and the ''obviative'' (the third person deemed less important or out-of-focus). Nouns can be singular or plural, and one of two genders, [[Animacy|animate]] or [[Animacy|inanimate]]. Separate personal [[pronoun]]s exist, but are usually used for emphasis; they distinguish [[Inclusive and exclusive we|inclusive]] and [[Inclusive and exclusive we|exclusive]] [[first person]] plurals.
Verbs constitute the most complex word class. Verbs are inflected for one of three ''orders'' (''indicative'', the default, ''conjunct'', used for participles and in [[subordinate clause]]s, and ''imperative'', used with commands), as negative or affirmative, and for the person, number, animacy, and proximate/obviative status of both its subject and object, as well as for several different ''modes'' (including the ''dubitative'' and ''preterit'') and tenses.
==Vocabulary==
Although it does contain a few loans from English (''gaapii'', "coffee," ''maam(aa)'', "mom") and French (''boozhoo'', "hello" (from ''bon jour''), ''ni-tii'', "tea" (from ''le thé'', "the tea")), in general, Ojibwe is notable for its relative lack of borrowing from other languages. Instead, speakers far prefer to create words for new concepts from existing vocabulary. For example, "airplane" is ''bemisemagak'', literally "thing that flies" (from ''bimisemagad'', "to fly"), and "battery" is ''ishkode-makakoons'', literally "little fire-box" (from ''ishkode'', "fire," and ''makak'', "box"). Even "coffee" is called ''makade-mashkikiwaaboo'' ("black liquid-medicine") by many speakers, rather than ''gaapii''.
==Writing system==
Ojibwe is written using a syllabary, which is usually said to have been developed by missionary [[James Evans]] around 1840 and based on [[Pitman's shorthand]]. In the United States, the language is most often written phonemically with Roman characters. [[Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe Syllabics|Syllabics]] are primarily used in Canada. The newest Roman character-based writing system is the [[Ojibwe writing systems#Fiero Double Vowel System|Double Vowel System]], devised by [[Charles Fiero]]. Although there is no standard orthography, the Double Vowel System is quickly gaining popularity among language teachers in the United States and Canada because of its ease of use.
==Gwelet ivez==
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