The Ottawa language, also known as Odawa, is one of the many language varieties making up what is commonly known as Ojibwe. These languages are still spoken across Canada and the northern United States. Ottawa is a member of the Central Algonquian branch of the Algic language family. Closely related languages include Salteaux, Northwestern Ojibwa, Southwestern Ojibwa, Severn Ojibwa, and Northern Algonquian. More distantly related languages include Potawatomi, Miami, and Shawnee.
Selected Language Information
Otawa Anamie-misinaigan. Detroit: George L. Whitney.
Baraga, Frederic. 1878. A Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language, Explained in English. Part I, English-Otchipwe; Part II, Otchipwe-English. MontrÈal: Beauchemin & Valois. Minneapolis: Ross and Haines (reprinted 1966, 1973).
Dawes, Charles E. 1982. Dictionary English-Ottawa Ottawa-English. No publisher given.
Johnston, Basil. 1979. Ojibway Language Lexicon for Beginners. Ottawa: Education and Cultural Support Branch, Indian and Northern Affairs.
Piggott, Glyne L. 1980. Aspects of Odawa Morphophonemics. New York: Garland. (Published version of PhD dissertation, University of Toronto, 1974).
Piggott, Glyne L. (ed.) 1985. Stories of Sam Osawamick from the Odawa language project. In Algonquian and Iroquoian Linguistics, Readers and Study Guides. Winnipeg: Department of Native Studies, University of Manitoba.
Rhodes, Richard. 2002. Multiple Assertions, Grammatical Constructions, Lexical Pragmatics, and the Eastern Ojibwe-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. In Making Dictionaries: Preserving Indigenous Languages of the Americas. William Frawley, Kenneth C. Hill, & Pamela Munro, (eds.) Berkeley: University of California Press. 108-124.
Sample Archival Materials in the Native American Languages Collection
Blackwell, Billy (author), Jack Briggs (author), Wilf Cyr (author), Eugene Goodsky (author), Hank Goodsky (author), Walter D. Hardy (author), Daniel Jones (author), Dennis Jones (author), Nancy Jones (author), John Kaykaygeesick (author). (1986). “Ojibwe Bilingual Specialist Project.” Akira and Kimiko Yamamoto Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: manuscript. Catalog Number: AKY-472.
Bloomfied, Leonard (author). (n.d.). “On the Sound-System of Central Algonquian.” General Field Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: manuscript. Catalog Number: GEN-389.
Links
Nishnaabemwen Language Revitalization
Book of Common Prayer in Ottawa
Catalogue of Endangered Languages
