A Language of Our Own
The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Métis
1st Edition
Published on 5. June 1997
337 pages
978-0-19-535708-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Michif language -- spoken by descendants of French Canadian fur traders and Cree Indians in western Canada -- is considered an "impossible language" since it uses French for nouns and Cree for verbs, and comprises two different sets of grammatical rules. Bakker uses historical research and fieldwork data to present the first detailed analysis of this language and how it came into being.
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Peter Bakker
A Language of Our Own
The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Metis
Book
06/1998
Oxford University Press Inc
€227.10
Shipment within 15-20 days
Peter Bakker
A Language of Our Own
The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Metis
Book
08/1997
Oxford University Press Inc
€301.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
- Intro
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Remarks on Spelling
- Abbreviations
- Maps
- 1 Introduction
- The Problem of Michif
- Short Structural Sketch of Michif
- The Place of Michif in the Study of Language Contact
- Some Hypotheses on the Genesis of Michif
- Conclusions
- Outline of the Book
- 2 European-Amerindian Contact in the Fur Trade
- Native Peoples in North America
- The French
- Native Peoples in the West
- The Fur Trade Companies
- Contacts with Native Women
- Summary and Conclusions
- 3 The Métis Nation: Origin and Culture
- The Emergence of a Métis Identity
- The Métis as an Ethnic Group
- Métis Languages
- Numbers of Speakers of Michif
- Summary and Conclusions
- 4 Grammatical Sketch of Michif
- The Two Phonological Systems
- Phonological Convergence
- Morphology and Syntax
- Summary
- 5 Variation in Michif
- Introduction
- Method
- The Michif-speaking Communities
- The Michif Speakers: Their Knowledge of Cree and French
- Language Variation across Linguistic Categories
- Ile-a-la-Crosse French-Cree versus Michif
- Influence from Cree and French on Michif
- French and Cree in Contact: The Three Types
- Conclusions
- 6 Cree-French Language Mixture: Types and Origin
- Red River Métis Language Use in the Past
- The Origin of the Northwest Saskatchewan Dialect of French-Cree (Ile-a-la-Crosse)
- Code Mixing with Algonquian Languages
- Conclusions
- 7 Ethnogenesis and Language Genesis: A Model
- Introduction
- New" Languages: Pidgins, Creoles, and Mixed Languages
- Mixed Languages: An Overview
- Mixed Languages: Generalities and Types
- Sociolinguistic and Linguistic Typology of Mixing: Language Intertwining
- Summary and Conclusions
- 8 The Intertwining of French and Cree
- History of Algonquian Morphological Studies
- Morphology of Cree: Nouns and Verbs
- Morphology of French
- The Intertwining of French and Cree
- Conclusions: Cree Morphology and Michif
- 9 The Source Languages of Michif: French, Cree, and Ojibwe
- Introduction
- The French Component of Michif
- The Cree Component of Michif
- The Ojibwe Component of Michif
- Michif: Ojibwe, French, and Cree Come Together
- Conclusions
- 10 The Genesis of Michif
- Notes
- References
- Index of Languages, Personal Names, and Geographical Names
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
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- R
- S
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- W
- Y
- Z
- Subject Index
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- K
- L
- M
- N
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- P
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