Introduction
Entries in the glossary are listed by stems, e.g., cĂźmĂąn- âcanoeâ, nipĂą- âsleepâ, with the hyphen used throughout to indicate the point at which inflectional material may be added. All entries are further specified by a stem-class code, a complete list of which appears immediately preceding these comments. The stem-class code is followed by the English gloss, plus a cross-sectional listing of occurrences in the text, noted by text number and paragraph, e.g.,
Ăąpatisi- VAI work; 2:6; 5:3
These latter references are intended to be typical but not exhaustive. Bracket- enclosed references indicate that the form itself does not occur at that point but is related to one which does or is discussed in the Notes.1
Glossary entries also show cross-reference to semantically and derivationally related forms (in the latter case primarily where the relationship is not obvious from proximity in the glossary, with full sentential or phrasal usage illustrated where this is of particular interest). Such illustration normally displays the textual form in which the relevant word or expression occurs.
Lexical entries are by uncontracted form except in a limited number of cases where the contracted form is either by far the more common or the only form under which the item occurs, e.g.,
tĂąntĂȘ (rather than *tĂąnitĂȘ).
Alone among Cree dialects, Moose Cree retains the historic l from Proto- Algonquian. In Swampy Cree, this has fallen together with the n inherited from the parent language so that it is not possible from the evidence of Swampy Cree alone to distinguish historic n sounds from those which were once l, e.g.,
ka-kiskĂȘnimin (SC) vs. ka-kiskĂȘlimin (MC) âyou will know meâ.
The choice of Moose Cree citation forms thus provides information which would otherwise be less immediately accessible. Moose Cree speakers commenting on Swampy Cree and Kashechewan texts often cite equivalent forms in Moose Cree, automatically replacing n with l where Moose Cree has preserved the historic sound. The forms in Kashechewan Cree, a mixed dialect, sometimes display the historic l and sometimes show an n in its place, e.g.,
kihcipali- or kihcipani- VAI/VII âgo off, go awayâ.
Swampy Cree (n-dialect) forms can be deduced from the Moose Cree (1-dialect) forms by replacing l with n (except, of course, where an entirely different word is used). Thus, where a Swampy Cree form has not been listed as such it should be looked for under the Moose Cree listing; the stem of nipwĂąhkĂą âbe quiet!â (42:3), for example, occurs in both Moose and Swampy Cree forms and is listed here as,
lipwĂąhkĂą- VAI act sensibly, be sensible (MC); SC: nipwĂąhkĂą-.
In addition to independent stems of the type outlined above, the glossary also includes certain noun stems in Cree that can never stand alone but must ...
