Indoojibwem!

Indoojibwem!

When I set out to look for learning materials on the web, I was initially excited to find so many search results for the language. This excitement quickly faded with the number of 404 - Not Found messages I kept getting on each click of a link. So I've created this space as a repository of resources for learning Anishinaabemowin, or more specifically, Ojibwemowin. With time, I hope it can be of use not just to me, but to others.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Stepping through a course - Lesson 5

Here is this week's text from Lesson 5 of the Pimsleur Ojibwe course.

Dialog -

F: Aaniindi wenjibaayan?
M: Mii omaa.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
M: Aaniindi zaaga'igan?
F: Iwidi.
F: Omaa na?
F: Iwidi na?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
M: Aaniindi niimi'idiwaad?
M: Niimi'idiwag iwidi.
F: Niimi'idiwag (mii) omaa.


And here we'll break it down line by line.

F: Aaniindi wenjibaayan?
  • "Aaniindi" is a new word this week, meaning "where". The second word, 'wenjibaayan" means "you originate/come from".
  • "Where are you from?" is the complete phrase.
M: Mii omaa.
  • Rememer that "mii" is an intensifier. We have another new word, "omaa" which means "here".
  • So He's saying "Right here."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
M: Aaniindi zaaga'igan?
  • "zaaga'igan" means "lake".
  • So the question is "Where is the lake?"
F: Iwidi.
  • This means "over there".
F: Omaa na?
  • Remember the question marker "na".
  • So the question is "Is it here?"
F: Iwidi na?
  • "Is it over there?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
M: Aaniindi niimi'idiwag?
  • "Aaniindi" is "where". "Niimi'idiwag" is "they dance" (the "wag" tells us that's it is third person plural)
  • So we have "Where are they dancing?"
M: Niimi'idiwag iwidi.
  • "They're dancing over there."
F: Niimi'idiwag (mii) omaa.
  • "They're dancing (right) here."

Just a few new words this lesson:
  • wenjibaayan (the verb is actually onjibaa - to come from/originate from somewhere)
  • omaa - here
  • iwidi - over there
  • zaaga'igan - lake
  • niimi'idiwag - to dance (with each other)

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