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