Anishinaabemowin Word Parts

Rochelle and Dené introduce how Anishinaabemowin expresses colors through word parts and initials in particular. Recording in person for the first time and learning more about podcasting with support from the Indigenous Screen Office. Colour initials include miskw- red in miskwaa (inanimate) / miskozi (animate), waabishk- white in waabishkaa/waabishkizi, makadew- black in makadewaa/makadewizi. They discuss ways to practice remembering object animacy through games. They also explore regional variation for blue/green and purple and how -aande/-aanzo as color finals can be used to create more specific colour words. Highlighted in this episode is the Beam Paints’ color-naming project https://youtu.be/GQ6gubeUR4o?si=Bp3WUKEtJskO-62j https://www.beampaints.com/

Turning Nouns into Verbs with the Anishinaabemowin Final -ike Rochelle and Dené reconnect after the summer. With classes and community programs starting up for the fall, they encourage teachers and learners to keep going, support others, engage on Facebook, and spend time with speakers. The episode’s focus is the verb final “-ike,” which turns nouns into VAI verbs. -ike means to make/produce/gather/harvest and can expand new learner vocabulary because you can add it to nouns that learners may already know (e.g. making bread, making coffee/ tea, harvesting rice/berries and even fish). Rochelle and Dené demonstrate how to find “-ike” forms using the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary advanced search, and share their own understanding of the final and some commonly used -ike verbs. To review the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary's -ike listing check out https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/ke-final   

Anishinaabemowin Word Parts: Alan Corbiere on Plant and Bird Names   In the fourth summer-session episode of Anishinaabemowin Word Parts, hosts Rochelle and Dené conclude their interview series with Alan Corbiere. Alan explains his interest in how beings are named, emphasizing the value of documenting and understanding Anishinaabe bird and plant names and their connection to morphemes. He notes that endings in tree terms may reflect an Anishinaabe classificatory system distinct from Western taxonomy, and why learners should do research and consult elders when learning and teaching tree and bird names. He shares some of his observations about regional variation and language change including examples involving apple trees, Blue jay/Canada jay, and sparrowhawk/nuthatch terms. The three also discuss how Latin-based English terms can help new learners understand Ojibwe's word-part structure.   The episode highlights two resources to be listed in show notes: The Poplar River Plant Guide https://www.manitobamuseumshop.ca/shop.html?location_id=75207&product_id=462  The Plants Used by the Great Lakes Ojibwe https://www.miinojibwe.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Plants-1.pdf

Morphology, Adult Immersion, and Intergenerational Transmission In this, the third episode of the interview series with Alan Corbiere, Alan discusses how Anishinaabemowin’s descriptiveness comes from morphology, but the language is still often taught word-for-word. He also describes some hands-on morpheme-ordering activities inspired by Mohawk educator Brian Maracle, which ARP developed to help learners construct words. Alan also summarizes Brian Maracle’s language revitalization reflections:  prioritize local control by learners rather than institutions, use a “root word method” to teach thinking like speakers, and focus on young adults who become fluent, form families, and can reestablish intergenerational transmission. The hosts reflect on learning from the efforts of other Indigenous language communities, taking risks and trying new things as learners and teachers, the limits of school-based programs, the need for community platforms to highlight/encourage learners and the importance of collective effort to create change and revitalize our language. 

Episode 10: Alan Corbiere on Morphology, Word Parts, and Learning Anishinaabemowin Rochelle and Dené celebrate the 10th episode of Anishinaabemowin Word Parts and continue part two of their interview with Alan Corbiere from M’Chigeeng. They discuss how learning morphology and word parts helps learners understand and construct words, interpret unfamiliar words in context, and speak more descriptively. Alan shares stories of being corrected by his dad, figuring out words through morphemes, experimenting with creating phrases, and how Mary Ann Corbiere's courses and Basil Johnston's recordings helped him move beyond rote memorization. The hosts reflect on learner journeys, choosing reliable teachers, and preview an upcoming discussion of Mohawk adult immersion programs.   Note this episode is missing video due to technical issues.