Historical Phonology
In the evolution from Proto-Algonquian to Ojibwe, the most sweeping change was the voicing of all Proto-Algonquian voiceless obstruents except when they were in clusters with *h, *ʔ, *θ, or *s (which were subsequently lost). Proto-Algonquian *r and *θ became Ojibwe n.
The relatively symmetrical Proto-Algonquian vowel system, *i, *i·, *e, *e·, *a, *a·, *o, *o· remained fairly intact in Ojibwe, although *e and *i merged as i, and the short vowels, as described above, underwent a quality change as well.
Some examples of the changes at work are presented in the table below:
| Proto-Algonquian | Ojibwe reflex (Saulteaux) |
Ojibwe reflex (Fiero) |
Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| *penkwi | pinkwi | bingwi | "ashes" |
| *mekiθe·wa | mikiš | migizh | "to bark at" |
| *ši·ʔši·pa | šîhšîp | zhiishiib | "duck" |
| *askyi | ahki | aki | "earth" |
| *-te·h- | -têh- | -de'- | "heart" (root) |
| *erenyiwa | inini | inini | "man" |
| *wespwa·kana | ohpwâkan | opwaagan | "pipe" |
For illustrative purposes, chart of phonological variation between different Cree dialects of Proto-Algonquian *r have been reproduced here but for the Anishinaabe languages, with the inclusion of Swampy Cree for illustrative purposes only, with corresponding Cree orthography in parentheses:
| Dialect | Location | Reflex of *l |
Word for "Native person(s)" ← *erenyiwa(ki) |
Word for "You" ← *kīrawa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swampy Cree | ON, MB, SK | n | ininiw/ininiwak ᐃᓂᓂᐤ/ᐃᓂᓂᐗᒃ | kīna ᑮᓇ |
| Algonquin | QC, ON | n | irini/irinìk inini/ininìk ᐃᓂᓂ/ᐃᓂᓃᒃ (inini/ininīk) |
kìn ᑮᓐ (kīn) |
| Oji-Cree | ON, MB | n | inini/ininiwak ᐃᓂᓂ/ᐃᓂᓂᐗᒃ | kīn ᑮᓐ |
| Ojibwe | ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, MI, WI, MN, ND, SD, MT | n | inini/ininiwag ᐃᓂᓂ/ᐃᓂᓂᐗᒃ (inini/ininiwak) |
giin ᑮᓐ (kīn) |
| Ottawa | ON, MI, OK | n | nini/ninwag (nini/ninwak) |
gii (kī) |
| Potawatomi | ON, WI, MI, IN, KS, OK | n | neni/nenwek (nəni/nənwək) |
ki |
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