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The
Michif Language |
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Michif
is the indigenous's language of the Métis people of Canada.
Michif emerged over two hundred years ago as a mixed language, combining
Cree and French, with some additional borrowing from English and First
Nation languages such as Ojibwa and Assiniboine. In general, Michif
nouns (and their associated grammar) are French, while verbs (and
their associated grammar) are Cree. |
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The
Michif language is unusual among contact languages, in that rather
than choosing to simplify its grammar, it chose the most complex and
demanding elements of the chief languages that went into it. This
suggests that, instead of haltingly using words from another's tongue,
the people who devised Michif were fully fluent in both French and
Cree. |
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Many
professional linguists contest its existence since it does not fit
into their model of how a language, or a mixed language, should look.
It is therefore of the utmost importance that we study, describe,
and preserve this unique language. |
Want
to Learn More? |
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| Métis
Resource Centre |
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Once
widely spoken, the language is on the verge of extinction, with only
about 1,000 Michif speakers left. |
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Today,
Michif is currently being researched and preserved by Métis
Nations across the Homeland in a bid to rescue an important part
of our heritage. In 1998, the Métis National Council received
funding through Heritage Canada to begin work on the preservation
of the Michif language. |
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To
date, some regions such as Ile a la Crosse, Saskatchewan, and the
Manitoba Métis Federation, through the Métis Resource
Centre in Winnipeg, have produced Michif Dictionaries. |
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