Solsquatch reminds us of Dr Seuss – or maybe the Scarlet Pimpernel – as he promises that he’ll be speaking Cree, no matter where we find him. In fact, that set of little words (the last in each line) that identify relative location are called “demonstrative pronouns,” and Sol explains them as follows:
- The first three are used when the speakers are close together,
- the next three are used when the speakers are a ways from each other,
- and the last three can used by the speaker talking to himself.
Listen and read along – in your best Solsquatch voice!
| nika-nêhiyawân ôta | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐆᑕ | I’ll speak Cree here |
| nika-nêhiyawân anita | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐊᓂᑕ | I’ll speak Cree there |
| nika-nêhiyawân nêtê | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᓀᑌ | I’ll speak Cree over there |
| nika-nêhiyawân ôtê | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐆᑌ | I’ll speak Cree over here |
| nika-nêhiyawân êkota | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐁᑯᑕ | I’ll speak Cree there |
| nika-nêhiyawân êkotê | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐁᑯᑌ | I’ll speak Cree over there |
| nika-nêhiyawân ayâsôw | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐊᔮᓲᐤ | I’ll speak Cree here and there |
| nika-nêhiyawân piko ita | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐱᑯ ᐃᑕ | I’ll speak Cree anywhere |
| nika-nêhiyawân piko itê | ᓂᑲ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᐣ ᐱᑯ ᐃᑌ | I’ll speak Cree everywhere |
2 Responses
Awesome!!will definitely being using this as one of my teaching tools.
Ever so grategul to you, Arden, and Solomon, for all the lanuage preservation and revialization you both do.
I love this! So much fun!