Exploration of Chippewa number words and

grammatical syntax

Wilma Mankiller, Cherokee 1987

“Whoever

controls the

education of our

children controls

our future.”

“On the whole Ojibwe is among the healthiest of North American languages, with many children being raised to speak it as a native language. Ojibwe is a verb-based polysynthetic language with relatively free word order.”

www.native-languages.org

“Numbering systems, like languages, from which they can hardly be distinguished, are in the first place social phenomena, closely dependent on collective mentalities. The mentality of any society is completely bound up with its internal functioning and its institutions.”

Lucien Lévy-Brühl, Anthropologist From “How Natives Think” 1922

1)Cardinal Numbers – exact quantity of objects

2)Distributive Numbers – distribution and reparation

3)Multiplying Numbers – reiteration or repetition

4)Multiplying-Distributive Numbers – combine above two

5)Ordinal Numbers – order and succession of objects

Counting numbers - express a quantity of objects.

English Chippewa

1 One bėzhig

2 Two niizh

3 Three niswi

4 Four niiwin

5 Five naanan

6 Six ningodwaaswi

7 Seven niizhwaaswi

8 Eight nishwaaswi

9 Nine zhaangaswi

10 Ten midaaswi

Pronunciation by Elizabeth Shaw http://www.sagchip.org/education/language/numbers/numbers.htm

English Chippewa

11 Eleven midaaswi ashi bezhig

22 Twelve midaaswi ashi niizh

13 Thirteen midaaswi ashi niswi

14 Fourteen

midaaswi ashi niiwin

15 Fifteen midaaswi ashi naanan

16 Sixteen midaaswi ashi ningodwaaswi

17 Seventeen

midaaswi ashi niizhwaaswi

18 Eighteen

midaaswi ashi nishwaaswi

19 Nineteen

midaaswi ashi zhaangaswi

20 Twenty niizhidana

Pronunciation by Elizabeth Shaw http://www.sagchip.org/education/language/numbers/numbers.htm

-gon or –gwan is used when counting daysEx: Niizhogon ningii-bimose (I walked for 2

nights)

-sag is used to denote wooden containersEx: Nisosag zhooniyaa (Three boxes of money)

-weg is used when counting clothing materials

Ex: Bezhigweg waaboyaan (One blanket)

A word that answers "how many times each?" or "how many at a time?"

This form of number is almost non-existent in English.

In Chippewa the prefix be, ne, je, and me are used to denote a distributive number

Example:Neniiwin mazinahiganan odayaanaawaan (Book) They have four books each

An adjective indicating the number of times something is to be multiplied. In English multipliers include "double" and "triple".

Niizh ningwisag nenaanig gii-izhaawag oodenaang

Two of my sons went to town five times

Combines the idea of multiplication and distribution in one expression.

These mark the order and succession of objects. English

Cardinal

EnglishOrdinal

ChippewaCardinal

ChippewaOrdinal

1 One First Bėzhig Netamising (nitam)

2 Two Second Niizh Eko-niizhing

3 Three Third Niswi Eko-nising

4 Four Fourth Niiwin Eko-niiwing

5 Five Fifth Naanan Eko-naananing

6 Six Sixth Ningodwaaswi Eko-ningodwatching

7 Seven Seventh Niizhwaaswi Eko-niizhwatching

8 Eight Eighth Nishwaaswi Eko-nishwatching

9 Nine Nineth Zhaangaswi Eko-zhaangatching

10

Ten Tenth Midaaswi Eko-midatching

Animate InanimateNimebezhig – I am alone

Bezhigwan – there is one thing

Niniizhimin – we are two

Niizhinoon – there are two things

Ninisimin – we are three

Nisinoon – there are three things

Niniiwimin – we are four

Niiwinoon – there are four things

Ninaanimin – we are five

Naananoon – there are five things