Grammar
Spelling East Cree (Northern) – ᒋᐦᑭᔥᑖᑭᓐᐦ The Use of Dots
Dots over a syllabic symbol
The dot above a syllabic symbol marks a long vowel.
| Short (no dot) | Long (dot) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| i | ᐃᔥᑯᑖᐤ | ii | ᐄᔨᔨᐤ |
| wi | ᐎᔮᑭᓐ | wii | ᐐᒥᓂᒌ |
| pi | ᐱᒥᐱᔨᐤ | pii | ᐲᒥᐱᔨᐤ |
| ti | ᑎᐹᓐ | tii | ᑏᑆᑦ |
| ki | ᑭᐱᑦ | kii | ᐅᔑᑮ |
| chi | ᒋᓍᐤ | chii | ᒌᓈᐤ |
| mi | ᒥᒋᓯᐤ | mii | ᒦᒋᓲ |
| ni | ᓂᐲ | nii | ᓃᐲ |
| si | ᓯᓯᔅ | sii | ᓰᐅᑏᔅ |
| shi | ᔑᑳᒄ | shii | ᔒᑭᐦᐆ |
| u | ᐅᐦᐱᐦᐆ | uu | ᐆᑦ |
| pu | ᐳᐙᑖᐤ | puu | ᐴᓃᐤ |
| tu | ᐃᐦᑐᑎᒻ | tuu | ᑑᐦᐙᓐ |
| ku | ᑯᑎᐲᐤ | kuu | ᑰᓐ |
| chu | ᒍᐙᔥᒃ | chuu | ᒎᐄᔨᔨᐤ |
| mu | ᒧᓵᔅᑰ | muu | ᒨᔅ |
| nu | ᓄᐎᒡ | nuu | ᓅᐦᑖᐱᔨᐤ |
| su | ᐱᓱᐦᑖᐤ | suu | ᓲᐱᐦᑎᒻ |
| shu | ᔑᔓᓈᐤ | shuu | ᔔᔓᐎᐦᒀᐤ |
| yu | ᒥᔪᔅᑭᒥᑳᐤ | yuu | ᔫᑎᓐ |
| a | ᐊᒋᒄ | aa | ᐋᐦᒋᒄ |
| a | ᐊᐱᐤ | waa | ᐙᒡ |
| a | ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐊᒻ | paa | ᐹᐦᑳᓂᒻ |
| a | ᐋᐦ ᒋᐱᐦᐊᒥᓐ | taa | ᑖᐦᒋᓈᐤ |
| kaa | ᑳᔅᒋᓈᐤ | ||
| chaa | ᒑᒀᓐ | ||
| maa | ᒫᒌᐤ | ||
| naa | ᓈᓯᐹᐤ | ||
| saa | ᓵᒋᐙᐱᒫᐤ | ||
| shaa | ᔖᒀᔨᒨ | ||
| yaa | ᔮᔮᐤ | ||
Note: there is a difference in pronunciation between Wemindji and Chisasibi for the command (imperative) verbs in the VTI (acting on an inanimate object) conjugation, such as ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐊᒻ᙮ The command form for ‘you (singular) hit it’ is ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐋᐦ for Wemindji, but sounds like ᐅᑖᒫᐦ for Chisasibi.
| ᐅᑖᒥᐦᐋᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒥᔥᑎᒄ᙮ | ᐅᑖᒫᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒥᔥᑎᒄ᙮ |
Dots in front of a syllabic symbol
Dots are written before a syllabic symbol and indicate a w sound before the vowel, and after the consonant.
| No w (no dot in front) | w (dot in front) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| i | ᐃᔥᑯᑖᐤ | wi | ᐎᒌ |
| ii | ᐄᐹᑎᓐ | wii | ᐐᐱᒡ |
| aa | ᐋᐱᑎᓐ | waa | ᐙᐱᓐ |
| paa | ᐹᑖᐤ | pwaa | ᑆᑭᑦ |
| taa | ᑖᐦᒋᓈᐤ | twaa | ᑣᔑᓐ |
| kaa | ᑳᐙᐤ | kwaa | ᒀᐱᒑᐤ |
| chaa | ᒑᒃ | chwaa | ᒞᓐ |
| maa | ᒫᒃ | mwaa | ᒸᒄ |
| naa | ᒌᓈᐤ | nwaa | ᒋᓍᐤ |
| yaa | ᒥᔮᐤ | ywaa | ᒥᔻᔑᐤ |
See also: Spelling East Cree – Southern Dialect – ᒋᐦᑲᔥᑖᑲᓐᐦ The Use of Dots