Some Basic Elisions

Image: r/DesignPorn: First Nations University viewed through a baby bison silhouette that stands on the lawn.

Elision happens all the time in spoken Cree – and even more often when Cree is spoken quickly. Elisions are optional, and happen in much the same way that English contractions do: dropping out sounds that are not critically important to understanding, making words a little shorter, a little easier to say.  Making speech sound a little more casual.

We often talk about SRO as a system with one letter per sound – which it is – but SRO almost always writes out the full, correct form of each word without acknowledging the elisions that fully fluent speakers often use without even thinking. One common example is the word “tânisi” which is written out in SRO with three full syllables, even though it is commonly pronounced as [tansi]. That middle “i” – that SRO still writes out every time – almost always gets elided or dropped when the word is pronounced normally.

The lesson Solomon Ratt has prepared today presents a number of words that are “elided,” creating shortcuts in normal speech. They can be read in elided or contracted form, even if they’re written out in full. Pronounced in full, they’re still correct, but the shortened forms tend to sound a little more relaxed and natural.

As you listen and read through this chart, watch for the patterns of elision: the vowels that contract or disappear, and what gets left in their place. Notice, too, how many of these are identical in y- and th-dialects. Most of these examples are strings of particles (words that are neither nouns nor verbs) that have vowels at their beginnings and endings where words meet – and collide. But “colliding” means bumping into something, whereas “elide” seems to imply something more graceful. In each of these examples, the vowels glide into one another creating small changes that leave meaning intact. These patterns appear again and again in Cree where one vowel sound follows another, or where unstressed vowels tend to gracefully disappear.

[Today’s photograph of First Nations University presents Douglas Cardinal’s building perfectly aligned with corresponding cut-outs in the silhouette of Lionel Peyachew’s baby bison that runs along behind its mother on the front lawn. The cutouts mirror and align with the building itself. The photo it is the work of r/DesignPorn (and was found on Reddit). Too often the term “University Cree” is used as an insult by those who have not acquired full Cree language literacy. The photo fits the punchline Sol buried in the table: kihci-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk “at the University” there are “no shortcuts”!

dialectfull formwith elisionvowels affectedEnglishComment
yêkosi animaêkosânima(i + a = â)that’s the way!
ytânisi ôma?tânsôma?(drop mid i from tânisi, then i + ô = ô)How is this then?
ytânisi êtikwêtânsêtikwê(i + ê = ê)I wonder how?
yêwako awaêwakwâwa(o + a = kwâ)This is the one.(Use with animate nouns.)
yêwako anaêwakwâna(o + a = kwâ)That’s the one.(Use with animate nouns.)
yêwako ômaêwakôma(o + ô = ô)This is the one.(Use with inanimate nouns.)
yêwako animaêwakwânima(o + a = kwâ)That’s the one!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
yawa itaawîta(a + i = î)Here s/he is!(Use with animate nouns.)
yôma itaômîta(a + i = î)Here it is!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
yawîna awaawînâwa(a + a = â)Who is this?
yawîna êtikwêawînêtikwî(a + ê = ê)I wonder who?
yawîna anaawînâna(a + a = â)Who is that?
ytânisi êkwa?tânsêkwa?(i + ê = ê)Howyadoin?
yêkosi êsa êkosêsa(i + ê = ê)That’s the way apparently.
yanima anitaanimânta(drop the i from anita then a + a = â)That one!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
yana anitaanânta(drop the i from anita then a + a= â)That one!(Use with animate nouns.)
ytâna êwako?tânêwako?(a + ê = ê)Which one?(Use with animate nouns.)
ytânima êwako?tânimêwako?(a + ê = ê)Which one?(Use with Inanimate nouns)
ykihci-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohkat the university(Sorry no shortcuts!)
dialectfull formwith elisionvowels affectedEnglishComment
thikosi animaikosânima(i + a = â)that’s the way!
thtânisi ôma?tânsôma?(drop mid i from tânisi, then i + ô = ô)How is this then?
thtânisi îtokîtânsîtokî(i + î = î)I wonder how?
thiyako awaiyakwâwa(o + a = kwâ)This is the one.(Use with animate nouns.)
thiyako anaiyakwâna(o + a = kwâ)That’s the one.(Use with animate nouns.)
thiyako ômaiyakôma(o + ô = ô)This is the one.(Use with inanimate nouns.)
thiyako animaiyakwânima(o + a = kwâ)That’s the one!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
thawa itaawîta(a + i = î)Here s/he is!(Use with animate nouns.)
thôma itaômîta(a + i = î)Here it is!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
thawîna awaawînâwa(a + a = â)Who is this?
thawîna îtokîawînîtokî(a + î = î)I wonder who?
thawîna anaawînâna(a + a = â)Who is that?
thtânisi ikwa?tânsîkwa?(i + i = î)Howyadoin?
thikosi îsa ikosîsa(i + î = î)That’s the way apparently.
thanima anitaanimânta(drop the i from anita then a + a = â)That one!(Use with inanimate nouns.)
thana anitaanânta(drop the i from anita then a + a= â)That one!(Use with animate nouns.)
thtâna iyako?tânîyako?(a + i = î)Which one?(Use with animate nouns.)
thtânima iyako?tânamîyako?(a + i = î)Which one?(Use with Inanimate nouns)
thkihci-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohkat the university(Sorry no shortcuts!)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Contact Us:

    Subscribe: