Week 2 & 3

Question 1

What are the two classifications of nouns in Cree?

Answer 1

Animate and inanimate

Question 2

What are some exceptions of animate nouns in Cree that aren’t animate in English?

Answer 2

a sock, a mitt, a raspberry, a paddle, a carrot, a car, etc.

Question 3

What are some of the 8 main categories of Inanimate nouns in Cree?

Answer 3

Cultural processes
Part
Functional
Instrumental
Stillness
Secular
Ordinary
Small

Question 4

What are the demonstrative single pro-nouns that are used for animate nouns?

Answer 4

This - awa
That - ana

Question 5

What are the demonstrative single pro-nouns that are used for inanimate nouns?

Answer 5

This - ōma
That - anima

Question 6

What are the two Abreviations for noun animate and inanimate?

Answer 6

awa = this (NA)
ōma = this (NI)

Question 7

What is the animacy agreement?

Answer 7

If one unit is animate (NA) then all units are animate (NA). If one unit is inanimate (NI), then all units are inanimate (NI).

Question 8

How do you pronounce nēhiyawēwin?

Answer 8

ne-hee-ah-wey-win

Question 9

What letters end in plural NA and IN nouns?

Answer 9

NA end in k
IN end in a

Question 10

What’s an example of a plural NA noun?

Answer 10

atim (a dog), atimwak (dogs)

Question 11

What’s an example of plural IN nouns?

Answer 11

maskisin (a shoe), maskisina (shoes)

Question 12

What’s the plural rule for NA nouns?

Answer 12

You add ak to the end
until it is k, i or a

Question 13

Example of a plural rule:

Answer 13

minōs (cat) is NA so it is minōsak (cats) when plural

Question 14

maskisin ôma. This is a shoe.
Is this NA or NI?

Answer 14

ôma = NI

Question 15

astis awa. This is a mitt.
Is this NA or IN?

Answer 15

awa = NA

Question 16

What is a diminutive?

Answer 16

A noun that refers to a smaller version of a regular sized noun.
These rules are the same for NA and IN in singular form.

Question 17

What changes the rules of plural diminutives?

Answer 17

Add ‘ak’ to pluralize NA diminutives
Add ‘a’ to pluralize IN diminutives

Question 18

What letter does ‘t’ have to be changed to for all diminutives?

Answer 18

‘c’

Question 19

What letter must all diminutives end in?

Answer 19

’s’

Question 20

For most noun endings, you will add ____ to make it a diminutive?

Answer 20

‘is’

Question 21

How do you change the word mistik (log) using the diminutive rule?

Answer 21

because it ends in k, you add os to the end and change the t to a c = miscikos

Question 22

What is a locative?

Answer 22

They are suffixes or endings that are added to nouns to indicate a location.

Question 23

Depending on the situation, locatives can mean:

Answer 23

by the ____
at the _____
in the _____
to the _____

Question 24

What’s the general rule for all nouns?

Answer 24

Add ‘ihk’
There are some rare exceptions (will not be tested on)

Question 25

Make iskonikan (reserve) into a locative.

Answer 25

iskoniknihk (on the reserve)

Question 26

How do you pronounce "how old are you?" in Cree?

Answer 26

Cree: tânitahtopiponêyan taan-tuh-toe-pi-poh-nay-yin

Question 27

How do you pronounce "I am 25 years old" in Cree?

Answer 27

Cree: nīsitanaw-niyānosāp nititahtopiponân nee-si-ta-no ni-ah-no-sap ni-ti-tuh-toe-pi-poh-naan

Question 28

What are the NA and NI demonstrative pronouns for These?

Answer 28

NA = ōki NI = ōhi

Question 29

How do you decide what demonstrative pronoun to use?

Answer 29

#1) Is the noun animate/inanimate? #2) Is the noun singular/plural? #3) What is the distance from speaker? (close to the speaker will be ‘this’ or ‘these’; farther from the speaker will be ‘that’ or ‘those’) #4) Word order matters: iskwēw awa = This is a woman (here). awa iskwēw = This woman (here).