What is the correct Innu spelling for the community of Matimekosh? - November 29, 2022

The Innu spelling of the place name (toponym) Matimekush reflects the common usage where people hear an i. However, the word is derived from the name of a fish: matamekᵘ as indicated by its etymology in the dictionary: matamekuss. It could therefore also be written Matamekush. The dictionary spelling reflects current habits, which are well…. Lire..

Why is mitash a dependent inanimate noun? -

And are there other words like this? Mitash is a dependent noun because it is formed with the prefix mi- and the stem -tash, which cannot exist on its own: mi+tash = mitash ‘sock’. It’s a dependent noun because we can’t say *nimitash (*ni+mitash), but instead say: nitash (ni+tash) ‘my sock’. Most dependent nouns are…. Lire..

What’s the difference between nikatsh- and nekatsh-? -

The distinction between the stems nekatsh- [nekâtsh-] meaning ‘misery’ and nikatsh [nîkâtsh-] meaning ‘slowness’ exists only for speakers of the MAMIT dialect. For speakers from Pessamit and Uashat (Western dialects), nikatsh- does not exist and its meaning is added to that of the stem nekatsh-. In the dictionary, for MAMIT, there are verbs with nikatsh-…. Lire..

When do I use the locative? -

On this sign, where the word tshitassinat is in the locative, the word anite should have been added for the sentence to be correct: Uashkamitatau anite tshitassinat! Alternatively, the noun could have been left without the locative ending: Uashkamitatau tshitassinan! because it is the direct object of the verb uashkamitatau. The other sign illustrates a…. Lire..