Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby księżycowy » 2014-01-28, 12:15

It seems as though that is the way for a lot of NAILs. I'm happy to see that many tribes are moving toward creating language curriculum for their ancestral language.

Hopefully some day we'll see some awesome Micmac textbook material. (And other languages 8-) )

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-02-10, 4:11

Honestly, I'm still waiting for resources for the vast majority of the world's languages, including my own. :P Fortunately, I've managed to learn Malayalam pretty well using a combination of (a) really crappy phrase-/textbooks, (b) books written in the language at increasing levels of difficulty, and probably most important of all, (c) my dad. So if nothing else, at least I can make some lessons for it here on UniLang (as I've been doing). If I really want to learn any non-Eurasian language other than Swahili well, I think I'd have to really seek out some native speakers (in most cases, probably by going to another part of the world since that's where they live).

Anyway. I've learned a few more words of this language, thanks to migmaq.org. Wela'liek is how two or more people thank any number of people. Welikiskuk is apparently an expression meaning 'good day', from weli and kiskuk, both of which we've seen before in those lessons. Teluisi means 'my name is...'; I'm sure I've seen that expression somewhere before but can't remember anymore where. And apparently, taliaq? means 'what's up?'. It looks kind of similar to talueken? 'what are you doing?'.

Finally, I've also relearned a few words from the video on pitewey on John Nick Jeddore's YouTube channel. The word for 'milk' is mla'kej, and the word for 'sugar' may be either noqomkina'q (in Newfoundland; apparently, this term "describes the granular texture of sugar") or sismoqn (elsewhere; apparently, this term "describes the sweet taste" of sugar).

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-02-23, 7:05

Nothing particularly exciting to report here this week, I don't think. I watched another one of John Nick Jeddore's YouTube videos where he covered the word for 'canoe': kwi'tn. He says that one of the two types of canoe that the Mi'kmaq historically used was a birch bark canoe; the other is an animal skin canoe. 'White birch' in Lnuismk is maskwi', so a birch bark canoe is a maskwi'kwi'tn.

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-03-14, 1:00

Not really much to say this time, either, but I think next time I come around to these lower-resource/endangered languages, I should also make sure to review everything I wrote in my notes on them. I haven't been doing that for a while. :oops:

Anyway, another one of JNJ's YouTube videos introduces the words e'pit 'woman', ji'nm 'man', and kikpesan 'rain'. (He forgot to include the apostrophe in ji'nm, but I'm quite certain the vowel is long and found it spelled with an apostrophe elsewhere).

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-04-05, 20:34

I think I should make a list here to help myself review all this vocabulary. (The spoiler function is really useful on UniLang. :lol:). This is the order in which I encountered these expressions but not necessarily the order in which I have to review them. :P

Hello. Kwe'.
How are you? Me' tal-wlein?
I'm fine. Welei.
I'm not well. Mu weleyiw.
Thank you. Wela'lin.
Thank y'all. :P Wela'lioq.
You're welcome. Weliaq.
Good morning. Weli eksitpu'k.
Come in. Piskwa'.
Sit down. Pa'si.
May I go to the restroom? (They say "washroom," but whatever. :lol:) Kisi aji aqua'sites?
Yes. E'e.
No. Moqwe.
Are you going? Elien?
Where are you going? Tami elien?
I'm going to town. Kjikank eliey.
When will you return? Ta'nuk apaja'sitesk?
Soon. Apukjik.
OK, I'll see you [later?]. A', nmu'ltes.
(OK. A'.)
What grade are you in? Ta'sewey ktui'katikn?
Third grade. Si'stewey.
When did you arrive? Ta'n pekisinn?
I arrived today. Kiskuk pekisin.
Where were you? Tami wejien?
I was at my house. Niknaq wejiey.
Is it cold? Yes, it's cold. Teke'k? E'e, teke'k.
-Get up! -What time is it? -7 o'clock. Do you want breakfast? -Yes, I'm hungry. -What do you want? -Eggs and toast. -Will that be enough? -Yes, that will be enough. -Mnja'si! -Ta's ajiet nike'? -7 îkla'k. Kîtu' eksitpukataln? -E'e, kewisn. -Koqoey ketutmn? -Wa'wl aq to'stl. -Net tepiatew? -E'e, tepiatew.
What are you doing? Talueken?
I'm working. Elukwey.
What are you working on? Koqoey elukwatmn?
I'm working on my homework. Homeworkm elukwatm.
-When will you finish? -Soon. -Will you call me? -OK, I'll call you. -Ta'nuk kisa'tutesk? -Apukjik. -Ka'lewa'litesk? -A', ka'lewa'lultes.
What's for supper? Koqoey wela'kowey?
Chicken Ki'kli'kwej
Oh, that's good. O', na katu weliaq.
Are we eating soon? Apukjik mijisulti'kw?
-Yes, soon. -Oh, I'm hungry. -So am I. -E'e, apukjik. -O', kewisn. -Aq elt ni'n.
Are you thirsty? Kîtu' samuqwan?
Yes, I'm thirsty. E'e, kîtu' samuqway.
What would you like to drink? Koqoey kîtu' samuqwan?
Cold water (literally 'cold water to drink'?) Tekpa'q samuqwan
-Oh, thank you. -Oh, you're welcome. -O', wela'lin. -O', weliaq.
Shall we leave? Ma'ja'ti'kw?
OK, let's leave. A', maja'tinej.
Do you speak Mi'kmaw? L'nuisin ki'l?
A little. Kijka'ji'jk.
I understand (it?), but I don't speak (it). Nestm, katu mu l'nui'siw.
Sleep well. Wli-npa.
I love you. Kesalul.
animate 3rd person pronoun nekm
inclusive we kinu
exclusive we ninen
y'all kilew
they nekmow
bow tapi
tea pitewey
canoe kwi'tn
how two or more people thank any number of people: wela'liek
good day welikiskuk
My name is... Teluisi...
What's up? Taliaq?
milk mla'kej
sugar (common word, describing sweetness) sismoqn
sugar (from Newfoundland, describing texture) noqomkina'q
(white) birch bark (canoe) maskwi'(kwi'tn)
woman e'pit
man ji'nm
rain kikpesan

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-05-23, 0:05

OK, so now I've managed to review all that. I'm also beginning to encounter dialect variation in this language; for example, I thought <q> was always pronounced either [χ] (that should be uvular, not velar) or (roughly, when surrounded by voiced sounds on both sides, e.g. intervocalically) [ɣ]. In reality, there's a lot more variation than that; in some varieties, it's actually pharyngeal. There seems to be some variation with the word for 'rain', too; apparently, it can be not only kikpesan but also kikpesaq. (I learned that from John Nick Jeddore's YouTube video on kikpesaq/kikpesan :P). I wonder how far the dialect variation in this language goes. :?

I should note that the words in wiki.migmaq.org do not necessarily correspond too well with the ones I learned earlier, but one of the words I included in the review was 'what's up?' According to that wiki (which is where all of the material below comes from), one possible answer is:
not much mu talianuk

If you want to say 'and you?' to one person (after 'I'm fine'), then you say:
and you? katu ki'l?

And finally, if you want to ask somebody what their name is (after all, I've already gone over how to say your name), you say:
What is your name? Taluisin?

To two people, apparently it's:
What are both of your names? Taluisioq?

And to more than two, I think they're trying to say it's:
What are y'all's names? Taluisultioq?
but didn't put the parentheses around the appropriate pronoun, which of course, once again, would be (the same as for addressing two people) kilew.

John Nick Jeddore says that the word for 'sorry' is meske'k, but the wiki says meskei. The wiki also has a word for this:
Let's go eat! Najjimijjinej!

I think that's enough for today. :P

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-07-25, 3:42

Ah, I just realized that the First Nation Help Desk website is hosted in Nova Scotia, whereas the grammar wiki teaches/covers the Listukuj (Listuguj) variety that's spoken in eastern Quebec. Hmm, that's a bit of a tricky situation, actually. :hmm: We're clearly dealing with different dialects of the same language here.

I've also started to think that maybe I should go back over some of those songs on that website, since I'd seen them before. I remember sort of learning a few words from those songs, too. For example:

star = kloqoej
stars = kloqoejk
little Mi'kmaw = Mikma'ji'j
I am(?) = ni'n na
I am small = apje'ji
every day I go to school = te'sikiskîk sku'lewi

And here are a few words from this page on the wiki:

plate = lasiet
bowl = lapol
frying pan = lapue'l
handerkchief = musuei
cup = kapjij
pocket = mapos
(at the) mass = alame's
priest = patlias
French = wenju
cranberry = su'n
moose = tiam
apple = wenjusu'n
cow = wenjutiam
fork = nipitkwe'knn (in Nova Scotia)
store = makasan or, apparently for some Nova Scotians, just 'store'
stores = makasann or, for aforementioned Nova Scotians, storek
cat = miawj (in Nova Scotia)

A few words from John Nick Jeddore's videos:
work = lukwaqn
father = nujj
dog = lmu'j
fox = wowkwis

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-08-23, 4:08

Well, I guess I don't have to learn any new words here. I had enough trouble remembering those words I posted exactly three months ago, or even some of the ones from last time (like su'n and tiam). Sigh.

Anyway, I just want to try to figure out where the heck "nipitkwe'knn" for 'fork' comes from. :D

But...ugh! Just as I couldn't figure out what the words for great-great-grandparents are in Quechua, I can't seem to figure out where this word for 'fork' comes from, either! I've seen the other word (used outside Nova Scotia) translated as 'table fork'.

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2014-12-23, 8:39

Oh OK, so apparently nipit means 'my tooth' (n- 'my' + *ipit 'tooth', but teeth are inalienably possessed, so they have to go with a possessive prefix; hence the asterisk, since *ipit alone is not a valid, grammatical word). Not really sure what's with the <kwe'knn> part though. I know kwe' is a greeting, and -knn seems to appear at the end of verbs, so I jokingly suggested to someone that maybe it means something like 'my fork greets it with glee' or something. :lol:

Here are a few more words from the song "Ni'n na Mi'kma'ji'j":
my teacher = ntti'jrem
your teacher = ktti'jrem
helps me = apoqnmuit
helps you = apoqnmask
to (or that I?) speak [this language] correctly = menaqa lnui'sin

A few examples from the Wiki page on animacy:
boy = lpa'tuj
boys = lpa'tujk
bear = mui'n
bears = mui'naq
rock = kunntew
rocks = kunn(?)tal
book = wikatikn
books = wikatiknn

Actually, that last word gives me a clue as to what kwe'knn might mean. ;) Now if only I could find the root word there...:lol:

And finally, from John Nick Jeddore :D I've actually seen the videos with some of these words before (specifically, I've seen this, but the words below also come from this, this, and this). There's also this from the YouTube user MsNativeWarrior, who also has a bunch of videos teaching the language each ending with the motto "Lnui'si - it's that easy!":
chief = saqamaw
my name is = ni'n teluisi (OK, this one was pretty obvious actually :lol:)
good evening = wliwela'k (sp?)
I'm happy to see you = welta'si nmu'l
caribou = qalipu
shovel = qaliputi
I am eating = miji'si
eat! = mijisi!
Last edited by vijayjohn on 2017-10-21, 6:39, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2015-08-27, 0:52

I guess I'll just cover the remaining words of the song "Ni'n na Mi'kma'ji'j":
I learn words = kekinu'tmasiann klusuaqnn
so that = kulaman
when I grow big = nike' msîkilan

Koko

Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby Koko » 2015-09-04, 16:40

Is Mikmaq Algonquian? 'Cause n(i)- is "I, me, my" in Cree (and others) too :hmm: Is there a "k(i)-"?

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2015-09-04, 16:47

Koko wrote:Is Mikmaq Algonquian?

Yes.
Is there a "k(i)-"?

Well, ki'l means 'you'. I'd think it was cognate with k(i)-.

Meanwhile, I just had to remind myself that my nonsensical mnemonic for the word kekinu'tmasiann is "keg, he knew da muzzy 'un." :lol:

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2016-03-17, 3:07

So from a few more of John Nick Jeddore's videos today, I learned that waqnji'j can mean either 'little knife' or 'sandy area between two adjacent ponds', I guess because the sandy area "cuts" the ponds from each other. I also learned ke' or ke'sik meaning 'please', waqame'k meaning 'clean', mawio'mi meaning 'gathering/celebration', and sipu meaning 'river'. Also, sipuji'j means 'little river'.

I've been looking at a few songs, too - specifically adaptations of well-known songs in English. For example, from the equivalent of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," which I've memorized in this language by now, I've learned that 'who' is wen, and 'I want to know who you are' is kîtu'-kjiju'l ta'n wenin ki'l. Kesi is used for emphasis, amasek means 'it is far, long distance, remote', and musikisk means 'sky', so kesi amasek musikiskîtuk means 'so far (up) in the sky'. 'Shiny (rock)' is kesasekewey kunntew, and 'like this shiny rock' is sîke nike' kesasekewey kunntew. 'Who is twinkling?' is wen etlatetesink?

Oh goodness, surely that's enough for now! :P Next time, I think I'll actually try to review these terms and (at some point) make a list of them so I can quiz myself over them.

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-03-27, 1:24

I guess I'll just try posting some new words from 'The Wheels on the Bus'. :P

Kiwkto'qita'ql I guess means 'they go round'? As in kiwkto'qita'ql wi'lji'jl 'the wheels go round'. Sku'l pasiktuk apparently means 'on the school bus'. Elaijmkutiek apparently means 'we ride (to)'? And sku'lminaq I guess means 'our school'. (Te'sikiskîk means 'every day').

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-10-21, 6:53

Here's some words and sentences from the Wiki, this video, and the last two posts:

The boy is small. = Apje'jit lpa'tuj.
That rock is small. = Apje'jk na kunntew.
I see the woman. = Nmi'k epit.
I see the table. = Nmitu ptauti.
little knife = waqnji'j, which also means sandy area between two adjacent ponds
crooked knife = awa'qi'kn/waqa'qanikin
sunset = kalqwasiet
please = ke'(sik)
it is clean = waqame'k
gathering/celebration = mawio'mi
(little) river = sipu(ji'j)
who = wen
I want to know who you are. = Kîtu'-kjiju'l ta'n wenin ki'l.
EMPH = kesi
it is far, long distance, remote = amasek
sky = musikisk
so far (up) in the sky = kesi amasek musikiskîtuk
shiny (rock) = kesasekewey kunntew
like this shiny rock = sîke nike' kesasekewey kunntew
Who's twinkling? = Wen etlatetesink?
they go round(?) = kiwto'qita'ql
The wheels go round. = Kiwkto'qita'ql wi'lji'jl.
on the school bus = sku'l pasiktuk
we ride to(?) = elaijmkutiek
our school(?) = sku'lminaq
every day = te'sikiskîk
Last edited by vijayjohn on 2020-12-26, 18:07, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2018-04-30, 20:05

I'm going to copy stuff over from my Powwow thread so that księżycowy can merge it once I've copied everything new into this and the Michif thread. :)

deer = lentuk
obviative suffix = -al ~ -tl ~ -l
he (sees) him = (nmi)atl
wake up! = tukwiet
I am ready = kiskaje' (sp?)
Speak Lnuismk! = L'nui'si!
It's that easy = Na teli-nqamasiaq
finally = klapis
(S)he is a nice person. = Welmatoq.
Let's speak Lnuismk! = L'nui'sultinej!
you go outside = tu'wen (sp?)
It sounds good. = Welta'q.
Where are you from? = Tami tleyawin?

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Re: Míkmawísimk / Micmac / hieroglyphs

Postby vijayjohn » 2020-12-26, 18:09

ketuksi = I am tired (courtesy of John Nick Jeddore)


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