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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

Key to Ojibwe parts of speech

The parts of speech (or classes of words) in Ojibwe are nouns, pronouns, verbs, preverbs, adverbs and particles. Each of these parts of speech can be further divided into subclasses that describe a particular use within the language.

Adverbs specify such things as time, place, manner or degree. They typically modify verbs and verb clauses. Examples: gigizheb, agwajiing, aapiji. Adverbs have recently been differentiated from particles in Ojibwemowin, and are in some places, still referred to as particles.

Nouns name things, beings, and abstractions. For example: waakaa’igan, animosh, zaagi’idiwin. Nouns are inflected; that is, they take on affixes – prefixes and/or suffixes – that give grammatical information about them. For example, affixes can indicate whether a noun is animate or inanimate (gender), whether it is plural (number), and how it is related to other parts of a phrase or sentence (e.g., obviative or locative form).

Particles are uninflected words and can be divided into several subclasses. Some particles always occur in a certain position in the sentence. For example, the question particle is used with questions that are typically answered with yes or no, and appear after the first word in a sentence. Example: ina.

Preverbs are prefixes added to verbs and nouns (where they are sometimes called pre-nouns) to indicate secondary ideas such as time and direction. They create thousands more word forms for each word stem. Preverbs are not words by themselves, though many preverbs have corresponding stand-alone forms. Some preverbs are word parts that occur only as preverbs; these include tense and subordinating prefixes. Other preverbs are related in form and meaning to verb roots.

Preverbs are written with a trailing hyphen to separate them from the following verb or from another preverb. Inflectional prefixes and initial change processes that would normally occur on a verb, take place on preverbs when present. More than one preverb can be used with a verb. And the preverbs follow a specific order when more than one preverb is present.

Pronouns typically stand in the place of nouns. However, in Ojibwemowin, the equivalent concept is often expressed in the form of an affix on nouns or verbs. Pronouns corresponding to English equivalents of personal pronouns, such as me or you, are often used for emphasis purposes in Ojibwe.

Verbs refer to states of being (condition, quality, etc.) or to actions. Examples: michaa, aabajitoon. Verbs, like nouns, are inflected, taking on affixes (prefixes and suffixes) that convey grammatical information. For example, the affixes on a verb can indicate number, tense (the time of the action), and the relationship of the verb to other parts of a phrase or sentence.

The verb is the main feature of most sentences in Ojibwe; nothing more is needed to make a sentence. Noun phrases and adverbs and other particles may occur with the verb, but are not essential.

Below are the abbreviations used on this website to describe parts of speech, along with a brief explanation.

Abbreviation Label Description Usage Note
adv conj conjunctive adverb Adverb connecting words; phrases; clauses; or sentences.
adv deg degree adverb Adverb specifying degree or intensity.
adv disc discourse adverb Adverb serving as a discourse marker.
adv dub dubitative adverb Dubitative evidential adverb.
adv evid evidential adverb Adverb specifying speaker's attitude toward reliability; or the nature of evidence for a report.
adv gram grammatical adverb Grammatical function word not falling into other categories.
adv inter interrogative adverb Adverb asking questions.
adv loc locational adverb Adverb specifying location.
adv man manner adverb Adverb specifying a way or manner.
adv neg negative adverb Adverb with negative meaning.
adv num number adverb Adverb specifying number.
adv phr adverb phrase Group of words treated as a phrase.
adv pred predicative adverb Adverb serving as a predicator.
adv q adverb - unknown Uninflected modifier or function word of unknown adverb classification.
adv qnt quantitative adverb Adverb specifying generally how much or how many.
adv sub subordinating adverbs Adverb introducing a subordinate clause.
adv tmp temporal adverb Adverb specifying time or duration.
n gender neutral noun Open class nominal; typically identifying things and beings; functions as both animate and inanimate gender.
n phr noun phrase Group of words treated as a phrase.
na animate noun Noun of the animate gender that is not obligatorily possessed.
na-v animate participle Animate gender nominalized verb.
nad dependent animate noun Noun of the animate gender that is obligatorily possessed.
name pers personal name
name place place name
ni inanimate noun Noun of the inanimate gender that is not obligatorily possessed.
ni-v inanimate participle Inanimate gender nominalized verb.
nid dependent inanimate noun Noun of the inanimate gender that is obligatorily possessed.
nq noun - unknown gender Noun of unknown gender.
pc asp aspectual particle Particle with aspectual function.
pc deictic deictic particle Particle with deictic function.
pc disc discourse particle Particle serving as a discourse marker.
pc emph emphatic particle Particle marking emphasis.
pc interj interjection particle Particles of emotional; directional; or conversational function which may also stand alone as utterances.
pc pred predicative particle The particle mii.
pc q particle - unknown One of a minor class of uninflected words; of unknown classification.
pc seq sequencing particle Clitic form of conjunctive adverb
pf prefix Personal prefix.
prep preposition Locational adverb serving as preposition.
pron alt alternative pronoun Pronoun indicating an alternative one.
pron dem demonstrative pronoun Pronoun identify which one relative to positions.
pron dub dubitative pronoun Pronoun of doubt.
pron foc focus pronoun Pronoun forms of mii.
pron indf indefinite pronoun Pronoun of indefinite reference.
pron inter interrogative pronoun Pronoun asking a question.
pron neg negative pronoun Pronoun with negative adverb.
pron per personal pronoun Personal pronouns identifying participant roles.
pron phr pronoun phrase Group of words treated as a phrase.
pron pret preterit pronoun Absentative pronoun.
pron psl pausal pronoun Pronoun serving as a generic or noun substitute in recall.
pron q pronoun - unknown Nominal words with limited class membership. Pronoun of unknown classification.
pron sim similative pronoun Pronoun of kind or type.
pron unv universal pronoun Pronoun with universal quantifier such as (g)akina.
pv asp aspectual preverb Preverb of aspect.
pv dir directional preverb One of a positional class of preverbs of location and direction. (pv2)
pv lex lexical preverb Manner; quality; and quantity preverbs. (pv4)
pv man manner preverb Preverb of manner or degree.
pv neg negative preverb Preverb of negative meaning.
pv q preverb - unknown Preverb of unknown classification.
pv qnt quantitative preverb Preverb indicating specific number.
pv qual evaluative adverb Preverb of evaluation of quality.
pv rel relative preverb One of a positional class of preverbs relating the verb to other sentence or discourse elements. (pv3)
pv sim similative preverb Preverb of kind or type used as prenoun.
pv sub subordinating preverb Preverb serving as subordinator.
pv tns tense/mode preverb One of a positional class of adverbs of tense and mode. (pv1)
q unknown word Word of unknown classification
qnt quantifier Indicates amount and number; such as adverbs; particles; numbers; and preverbs.
qnt num number Uninflected number.
v phr verb phrase Group of words treated as a phrase.
vai + o animate intransitive verb with object Verb with an intransitive stem; an animate subject and an object.
vai animate intransitive verb Verb with an intransitive stem; an animate subject and no object.
vai2 class 2 animate intransitive verb Verb with a transitive stem (as for an inanimate object); an animate subject and no object; inflected as an intransitive.
vii inanimate intransitive verb Verb with an intransitive stem; an inanimate subject and no object.
vq verb - unknown Verb of unknown classification.
vta transitive animate verb Verb with a transitive stem and an animate object.
vti transitive inanimate verb Verb with a transitive stem; and an inanimate object; and a characteristic set of inflections.
vti2 class 2 transitive inanimate verb Verb with a transitive stem; and an inanimate object; and a different characteristic set of inflections.
vti3 class 3 transitive inanimate verb Verb with a transitive stem; and an inanimate object; and a different characteristic set of inflections.
vti4 class 4 transitive inanimate verb Verb with a transitive stem; and an inanimate object; and a different characteristic set of inflections.