Naskapi Language Grammar and Text

 

Researchers

Julie Brittain, Marguerite MacKenzie, Bill Jancewicz

Personnel

Naskapi Development Corporation staff: Silas Nabinacaboo, Alma Chemaganish, Phil Einish

Description

In the Naskapi community of Kawawachikamach, located near Schefferville in northern Quebec, everyone speaks their Aboriginal language, and children are still learning it as a first language. Nevertheless, since there are only 600 Naskapi speakers, and they are surrounded by English, French and Innu-aimun, the language is somewhat endangered. Our research project is documenting the grammar of the language (which is very different from English or French). Chapters on the extensive verb paradigms, the noun and questions have been completed. In addition, a set of audio-recordings made of Naskapi elder John Peastitute in 1968 are being transcribed into the (Naskapi) syllabic writing system and translated into English. These texts are rich sources of vocabulary items, contributing new words to the Naskapi dictionary and example sentences for the grammar. The community elders are eager to have all Canadians appreciate the richness of the Naskapi oral tradition.

Links

Naskapi Lexicon
Naskapi community website
Cree-Innu linguistic atlas

Selected Publications

Stories told by Naskapi Elder John Peastitute

  • 2021. Peastitute, John. Châhkâpâs: A Naskapi Legend. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. First Nations Language Readers Series (Naskapi). University of Regina  Press. (available here) 
  • 2021. Peastitute, John. Ka-nutachikwayan: When I hunted otters and other stories. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2017 Peastitute, John. Caught in a blizzard and other stories. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2016. Peastitute, John. Misti-Michisuw: The Giant Eagle and other stories. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2016. Peastitute, John. Umayichis: A Naskapi Legend (for older readers). Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2015. Peastitute, John. Umayichis: A Naskapi Legend (for younger readers). Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2014. Peastitute, John. Achan: Naskapi Giant Stories. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2014. Peastitute, John. The Dancing Ants: A Naskapi Legend. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2013. Peastitute, John. Chahkapas: A Naskapi Legend. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)
  • 2013. Peastitute, John. Kuihkwahchaw: Naskapi Wolverine Stories. Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo, edited by Marguerite MacKenzie, with contributions by Bill Jancewicz. Lulu.com: Naskapi Development Corporation. (available here)

Commentary on John Peastitute's stories

  • 2005. Brittain, Julie & Marguerite MacKenzie, with Alma Chemaganish, Philip Einish and Silas Nabinicaboo. Two Quebec Naskapi stories narrated by John Peastitute: ‘Wolverine and the Ducks’ and ‘Wolverine and the Geese’. In Algonquian Spirit: Contemporary Translations of the Algonquian Literatures of North America, edited by Brian Swann. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 121-58.  
  • 2004. Brittain, Julie & Marguerite MacKenzie. Umayichîs. In Voices from Four Directions: Contemporary Translations of the Native Literatures of North America, edited by Brian Swann. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 572-90.

Naskapi linguistics

  • Jancewicz, Bill. 2011. Related language Translation: Naskapi and East Cree. In Born in the Blood: On Native American Translation, 109-137. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
  • Blacksmith, Louise (author), Silas Nabinicaboo (translator), Jancewicz, Bill (editor). 2006. Naskapi conversation manual = Manuel de conversation Naskapie. Kawawachikamach, Quebec, Canada: NDC Translation Department. 29 pages + 1cd.
  • 2002. Jancewicz, Bill, Marguerite MacKenzie, George Guanish & Silas Nabinacaboo. Building a community language development team with Quebec Naskapi. In Barbara Burnaby and John Reyhner (eds.), Language Across the Community, 77-84. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University. (also available at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/ILAC/ILAC_8.pdf)
  • 2001. Brittain, Julie. The Morphosyntax of the Algonquian Conjunct Verb: A Minimalist Approach. New York: Garland (Routledge). Ebook (2013, New York: Routledge) DOI:  10.4324/9781315054841 
  • Brittain, Julie. 2001. Obviation and coreference relations in Cree and Naskapi. Linguistica Atlantica 23, 69-91.

  • Guanish, George, Bill Jancewicz, Marguerite MacKenzie & Silas Nabinicaboo. 2002. Building a community language development team with Québec Naskapi. In Indigenous Languages Across the Community, Barbara Burnaby & Jon Reyhner (eds.), 77-84. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University.

  • Jancewicz, Bill & Marguerite MacKenzie. 2002. Applied computer technology in Cree and Naskapi language programs. Language Learning and Technology 6(2), 83-91. http://llt.msu.edu/vol6num2/jancewicz/default.html
  • Jancewicz, Bill. 2000. Naskapi discourse: analysis of a contemporary text. In Papers of the 31st Algonquian conference, John D. Nichols (ed.), 161-199.
  • Jancewicz, Bill. 1998. Developing language programs with the Naskapi of Québec. In Proceedings of the second FEL conference: endangered languages—what role for the specialist?, N. Ostler (ed.), 25-32. Bath, UK: The Foundation for Endangered Languages. 
  • Jancewicz, Bill. 1998. Nominalizations in Naskapi: production and inflection. In Papers of the 28th Algonquian Conference, David H. Pentland (ed.), 181-199. S.l.: University of Manitoba.
  • Jancewicz, Bill & Marguerite MacKenzie. 1998. Preverbs in Naskapi: function and distribution. In Papers of the 28th Algonquian Conference, David H. Pentland (ed.), 150-168. S.l.: University of Manitoba.
  • 1994. Naskapi Lexicon: Volume 1 Naskapi- English/French 431 pp., Volume 2 English-Naskapi 650 pp., Volume 3 français-naskapi 648 pp., Marguerite MacKenzie and Bill Jancewicz (eds.), Schefferville: Naskapi Development Corporation.