Cree Literacy Network

Most of us are familiar with the alternation of y-, th-, and n- that characterize the main Western Cree dialects. In many cases, the changes between the Plains y-dialect, Woodlands (Rock Cree) th-dialect, and Swampy Cree n-dialect are fairly predictable, but not all of these dialect differences are tidy or predictable.

This post from Solomon Ratt, with input from Arok Wolvengrey (for y-dialect), and Cameron Adams (for n-dialect) outlines the changes that usually work, and a sampling of differences that aren’t really predictable at all.

Here are the general guidelines:

• Most (but not all) ys change to th or to n.
  • These changing ys are marked with an acute accent over the ý in the print edition of nêhiyawêwin: itwêwina Cree: Words by Arok Wolvengrey. Regina: University of Regina Press (2001).
• There is no ê sound in the th-dialect.
  • Most of the ê’s found in the y-dialect will change to î.
  • When ê is followed by y, it changes to i.
  • When an initial ê is followed by k, the ê usually changes to i.
• Verb forms with î in y-dialect third-person forms keep the î in the first and second person forms, but change to â in the third person form. For example: mâcîw – he/she hunts.
  • In the y-dialect, this form keeps the î: in first and second person forms:
    • nimâcîn – I hunt; kimâcîn – you hunt.
  • In the th-dialect the î in mâcîw changes to â in the first and second person forms:
    • nimâcân – I hunt; kimâcân – you hunt.
    • All third person entries from the itwêwina dictionary that have the same ending as ‘mâcîw’ follow this change.

The following list shows that not all changes are predictable, nor do all words follow the same form from one dialect to another.

(Photo: Sol’s favourite Sasquatch espresso cup, a gift from his grandchildren)