Spelling East Cree (Southern) – New spellings as of summer 2015

Introduction

The new spellings here are ones that are in addition to those noted in earlier sections.

ᑲᔥᑰᓐ and ᑯᓐ

The verbs of the ‘it is foggy’ family are now all spelled as ᑲᔥᑰᓐ kashkuun (and not ᑲᔥᑯᐎᓐ kashkuwin)

ᑲᔥᑰᓐ	kashkuun
ᑲᔥᑰᓈᐸᓐ	kashkuunaapan
ᑲᔥᑰᓇᐯᔥᑖᓐ	kashkuunapeshtaan
ᓯᔅᒋᑲᔥᑰᓄᐸᔫ	sischikashkuunipayû

Note: The noun for cloud is ᑲᔥᑯᐎᓐ kashkuwin.

Nouns for ‘kinds of cloud’ end in ᐊᔅᒄ -askw:

ᑲᔥᑰᓇᔅᒄ	kashkuunaskw
ᔫᑎᓇᔅᒄ	yuutinaskw

Verbs for kinds of clouds end in ᑯᓐ -kun (with a short u)

ᐱᒥᔥᑯᓐ	pimiskun
ᓂᓂᒋᔅᑯᓐ	ninichikuskun
ᔭᑯᔅᑯᓐ	yakuskun
ᐯᑎᔅᑯᓐ	petiskun

ᒋᒨᓐ

The words for ‘it is raining’ family are now spelled as ᒋᒨᓐ chimuun (and not as ᒋᒧᐧᐃᓐ chimuwin)

ᒋᒨᓐ	it is raining
ᒋᒨᓈᐴ	rainwater
ᒋᒨᓇᑯᐦᑉ	raincoat
ᒋᒨᓇᔥᑐᑎᓐ	rain hat
ᒋᒨᓀᐅᒋᔒᔥ	Swainson’s thrush bird Catharus ustulatus, hermit thrush Catharus guttatus
ᒋᒨᓂᐸᔨᒌᔅ	rain pants
ᒋᒨᓂᐸᔫ	it is a sudden rain, it suddenly begins to rain
ᒋᒨᓂᐱᔦᔒᔥ	kind of warbler, literally ‘rain bird’
ᒋᒨᓂᔔ	s/he is caught in the rain
ᒪᐧᑌᒋᒨᓐ	there is a sound of rain

-ᒎᓐ or -ᑰᓐ

VII verbs that used to end in -ᒍᐃᐧᓐ or -ᑯᐧᐃᓐ are now spelled -ᒎᓐ or -ᑰᓐ. As noted above, these words include the ᒋᒨᓐ ‘rain’ family. The remaining ones have the ending -ᒎᓐ ‘current’ , -ᑰᓐ ‘foggy’ or -ᒋᑰᓐ ‘drip’

ᐋᒥᒎᓐ	it is where the current starts to descend
ᐋᐱᒥᒎᓐ	the current is slower, in a backwater
ᐊᐧᑳᒎᓐ	the current meets the bank
ᐊᑎᒥᒌᐧᐁᒎᓐ	tide goes back out
ᒌᓂᐧᑳᓂᒎᓐ	it is an eddy of water, the current spins around
ᒌᔅᑳᐱᔅᒉᒎᓐ	it is a steep rock falls, cascade
ᒌᔅᑳᐱᔅᒋᒎᓐ	it is a current, rapids over a high rock, a steeply falling current
ᒌᐧᐁᒎᓐ	the tide goes out
ᒋᐳᓯᑯᒎᓐ	it is an ice jam
ᒋᔅᑖᒎᓐ	it is where the current is strongest, it is a main current
ᒋᔑᒎᓐ	it is a swift current
ᒋᐧᔐᐧᐁᒎᓐ	the noise of the rapids is loud
ᑲᔅᒋᓭᒎᓐ	it is steep, high falls
ᑯᐃᔅᑯᒎᓐ	the water flows straight
ᒪᒨᔅᒋᒎᓐ	it (liquid) bubbles, boils up here and there
ᒪᐧᑌᐧᐁᒎᓐ	there is a sound of running water in a swift current
ᒥᓂᔥᑎᑯᒎᓐ	the current flows on either side of an island
ᒨᔅᒋᒎᓐ	it flows out, as water out of a spring
ᓈᑕᑳᒣᒎᓐ	it is an on-shore current
ᓃᐦᑎᒍᐧᐁᒎᓐ	it flows and falls over a cliff, rocks
ᐹᑯᔅᑌᒎᓐ	the water is very shallow in the rapids, the rapids are almost dry
ᐹᐧᑳᐱᔅᒋᒎᓐ	the water is very shallow in the rapids, the rapids are almost dry
ᐹᐦᐹᐧᑳᓈᒥᔅᒋᒎᓐ	the water is very shallow in the rapids, is going dry
ᐹᓯᒋᒎᓐ	the current flows over it (a dam)
ᐯᒋᒎᓐ	the tide comes in
ᐯᐯᒥᒎᓐ	the water, current flows in a twisted way
ᐯᔓᐧᐁᒎᓐ	the rapids sound near
ᐲᒪᑳᒣᒎᓐ	the rapids are winding
ᐲᔥᑌᐅᒎᓐ	the current foams up
ᐲᔥᑌᐧᐋᑲᒥᒎᓐ	the current creates foam in the water
ᐲᐦᑖᒎᓐ	it is a long rapids
ᐱᒥᒎᓐ	there is a current
ᐱᓂᓱᐧᐁᒎᓐ	it flows down the bank, downhill
ᐱᐧᓭᐧᐁᒎᓐ	the sound of the rapids echoes
ᐴᓯᒎᓐ	the water pours over into the canoe as it travels
ᓵᒉᐧᐁᒎᓐ	it flows out of something behind a point of land
ᓵᒋᒎᓐ	it flows out of something, it is an inlet to a lake
ᓲᔔᒎᓐ	the current flows smoothly
ᔒᐯᐧᐁᒎᓐ	the current, tide cuts a new channel
ᔒᐲᔑᒎᓐ	it is a rivulet, flowing water (ex after rain)
ᑖᔅᒋᓯᑯᒎᓐ	the current makes a split in the ice
ᐅᒋᐦᒋᒎᓐ	the river flows from
ᐅᐱᒎᓐ	it is a narrows in a current
ᐅᐦᒋᒎᓐ	the current starts from there
ᐧᐋᔨᒎᓐ	the water has a depression on it caused by its swirl
ᔦᑳᐧᐋᒥᔅᒉᒎᓐ	the river runs in a bed of sand
ᑲᔥᑰᓐ	it is foggy
ᑲᔥᑰᓈᐸᓐ	it is a misty, foggy morning
ᐹᐸᐦᒋᑰᓐ	it (ex. house) is dripping

Still to be decided:

ᐱᔦᐱᐦᑯᐧᐃᓐ	OR	ᐱᔦᐱᐦᑰᓐ	there is soot on it
ᐃᔥᐱᒥᐦᑕᑯᐧᐃᓐ	OR	ᐃᔥᐱᒥᐦᑕᑰᓐ	it has an upstairs
ᐄᓃᐦᑐᐧᐃᓐ	OR	ᐄᓃᐦᑑᓐ	it seems alive

‘flesh’ and ‘meat’

Do not confuse ᐧᐃᔮᔅ wiyaas ‘meat’ with ᐅᔮᔅ ‘flesh of the body’, which is a dependent noun:

flesh of body			meat to be eaten
ᐅᔮᔅ	uyaas	his own flesh	ᐧᐃᔮᔅ	wiyaas	meat
ᓂᔮᔅ	niyaas	my flesh	ᓅᔮᓯᒻ	nuuyaasim	my piece of meat
ᒋᔮᔅ	chiyaas	your flesh	ᑰᔮᓯᒻ	kuuyaasim	your piece of meat
			ᐆᔮᓯᒻ	uuyaasim	her piece of meat

The compound words use the spellings with ᐅᔮᔅ –uyaas

ᒨᓱᔮᔅ	muusuyaas
ᐊᑎᐦᑯᔮᔅ	atihkuyaas
ᑰᑰᐦᔓᔮᔅ	kuuhkuushuyaas
ᐊᒥᔅᑯᔮᔅ	amiskuyaas
ᐧᐊᒋᔅᑯᔮᔅ	wachiskuyaas
ᒥᔅᑐᓱᔮᔅ	mistusuyaas
ᐹᔥᑌᐅᔮᔅ	paashteuyaas
ᒋᔐᔮᑯᔮᔅ	chisheyakuyaas
ᑳᑰᔓᔮᔅ	kaakuushuyaas
ᑳᑯᔮᔅ	kaakuyaas
ᒪᔅᑯᔮᔅ	maskuyaas

ᒦᐧᐊᑦ

The word for ‘box’ is now spelled as ᒦᐧᐊᑦ miiwat (and not ᒦᐎᑦ miiwit) and all words containing the ending ᐧᐊᑦ -wat referring to a container will be changed as well. These words are listed on Syllabic symbols not to forget to write.

ᐄᒥᓐ

ᐧᐄᒥᓐ wiimi is now spelled with ᐧᐄ- (and not with ᐧᐃᔨ wiyi-) so that it matches the name of Wemindji

ᐧᐄᒥᓐ	wiimin
ᐧᐄᒥᓈᐦᑎᒄ	wiiminaahtikw
ᐧᐄᒥᓂᒌ	wiiminichii

ᐅᔦᐊᔥ

ᐅᔦᐊᔥ uyesh is now spelled with ᐅ u- and not with ᐧᐃ wi-

ᐅᔦᔥ	uyesh
ᐅᔦᔥᑌᐦ	uyeshteh

but ᐧᐃᔦᔥ wiyesh, which can be a command to a child will use ᐧᐃᔾ wiy-

ᐧᐋᒋᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᒋᓇᒻ

The Inland spelling of ᐧᐋᑎᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᑎᓇᒻ is wrong and these words should be spelled as ᐧᐋᒋᓀᐤ and ᐧᐋᒋᓇᒻ; the sound -ᒋᓐ- can be pronounced as -ᑎᓐ- in many words but should not be written that way. An example is the word ᐧᐋᒋᓈᑲᓐ which is often pronouncd in fast speech as ᐧᐋᑎᐋᑲᓐ.

-ᓈᓅ

Verbs ending in -ᓈᓅ -naanuu are spelled this way in the conjunct forms, and not as -ᓈᓄᐧᐃ- or -ᓈᓂᐧᐃ- as in the northern dialect.

• ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓄᐦᒡ
• ᐁ ᓂᑲᒧᓈᓄᐦᒡ

Note that a shorter form ᓅ -nuu is used for verbs which end with ᐁᐤ -eu or ᐋᐤ -aau:

• ᑳ ᒣᑕᐧᐋᓅᐦᒡ
• ᑳᒌ ᓂᐹᓅᐦᒡ

The inland dialect often adds ‘h’ before ‘ch’ in certain conjunct forms, but the Coastal people tend to leave it out. (Note: the conjugation guide contains the h, #11, 12a, 12b)

Coastal	Inland
ᐁ ᓂᒥᓈᓅᒡ	ᐁ ᓂᒥᓈᓅᐦᒡ
ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓅᒡ	ᐁ ᐊᐱᓈᓅᐦᒡ
ᑳ ᑕᑯᔑᓈᓅᒡ	ᑳ ᑕᑯᔑᓈᓅᐦᒡ

ᐹ

The words for ‘wash’ are now spelled with ᐹ and not ᐧᐹ :

New spelling ᐹ	Old spelling ᑆ
ᒋᔥᑖᐹᐅᑖᐤ	ᒋᔥᑖᑆᐅᑖᐤ
ᒋᔥᑖᐹᐧᐃᔨᓲ	ᒋᔥᑖᑆᐧᐃᔨᓲ
ᒣᔥᑖᐹᐅᑖᐤ	ᒣᔥᑖᑆᐅᑖᐤ
ᒥᔮᐹᐅᒉᐤ	ᒥᔻᑆᐅᒉᐤ