Level 1 PDF

1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction Concepts

In this first lesson, you will overview the basics that will help you better situate and understand the wolastoqey language. You will also discover tools that will assist you throughout your learning journey

Oral tradition

The Wolastoqey language has been passed down, evolved, and transformed from generation to generation for thousands of years on this territory. By delving into oral tradition, it becomes possible to better understand the richness of the teachings contained within the Wolastoqey language in relation to the values, principles, and traditions of our people. There exists a wide variety of narratives that have reached us. Some stories teach us about the origins of the Wolastoqiyik and our beautiful and bountiful river, the Wolastoq. Others recount how our ancestors received essential teachings, sometimes from Kewoluscap, sometimes from little people from the stars, or even from certain animals. Oral tradition narrates our territory, speaks of mythical characters, and evokes transformations undergone over centuries due to climate variations, migratory waves, and colonization, for example. This system of knowledge ensures the intergenerational transmission of essential knowledge for understanding what it means to be Wolastoqey. Learning the language of our ancestors allows us to get closer to these narratives and the oral nature that characterizes their transmission. Taking the time to engage with this essential aspect of our culture is also contributing to keeping our collective memory alive
Wolastoqewatu! Let’s speak Wolastoqey!

The two types of writing

There are two ways to write Wolastoqey.
The Teeter alphabet was developed in the 1960s by an American linguist. It uses a letter not found in the usual alphabet: the schwa, also called the « turned e » written as « ə ».
The Newell-Hale alphabet was developed in the 1970s by a member of the Passamaquoddy Nation, with the assistance of another American linguist. This way of writing the language only uses the letters of the usual alphabet but in a limited number.
There are three main differences between the alphabets:

Newell-Hale alphabet	Pronunciation	Teeter alphabet
o	« e »	ə
q	« gw » or « kw »	kw
u	« or »	o

Example: Wolastoqey written in the Teeter alphabet is spelled Wəlastəkwey.

In this workbook, we use the Newell-Hale alphabet, which employs only the usual letters (not the ə). However, it’s useful to know how the Teeter alphabet works, as it’s used in several communities. Currently, neither alphabet dominates among speakers and learners of Wolastoqey.

Available online resources

If you wish to consult additional resources, here are some addresses:

• Online portal « Maliseet-Passamaquoddy » (in English only). Contains videos of speakers discussing various topics and an online dictionary
• Online dictionary of the Tremblay family from Neqotkuk (Tobique) (in English only). An online dictionary containing thousands of entries and including an audio recording of all terms https://kahkakuhsok.ca/.
• Wolastoqewatu! Trilingual learning site - Portal containing wolastoqey language learning modules based on conversation, practice exercises, and a dictionary containing nearly 2000 words.

1.2. Basic Concepts

Sounds and pronunciation

When reading Wolastoqey, each letter is pronounced. This is not the case for all languages. In French, for example, the word « eau » has three letters but only the sound « o » is pronounced
The letters used to write Wolastoqey are not always pronounced as they are in French. Here are some examples of pronunciation differences between French and Wolastoqey:

• In Wolastoqey, « q » is sometimes pronounced « gw » and sometimes « kw ».
• In Wolastoqey, « u » is pronounced « ou ».

With a little practice, pronouncing Wolastoqey quickly becomes a reflex.

Apostrophe at the beginning of a word

The apostrophe at the beginning of a word is a result of the evolution of the wolastoqey language over time. It replaces a consonant that has disappeared over time and is no longer fully pronounced. The apostrophe affects the pronunciation of the first syllable of the following word.
Example: the word for eagle can be written in two ways: ‘cihpolakon or Kcihpolakon.
L’apostrophe nous indique qu’on prononcera « tchi » et non pas seulement « dji ».

The letter « H »

The presence of the letter « H » in a word has an effect on the letter that follows it.

Letter after « H »	Effect	Examples
« S »	The « S » is pronounced as « s » instead of the usual « z » sound	Wahsipekuk
« K »	The « K » is pronounced as « k » instead of the usual hard « g » sound	Kcihkuk
« P »	The « P » is pronounced as « p » instead of the usual « b » sound	Kotuhp ?
« T »	The « T » is pronounced as « t » instead of the usual « d » sound	Nemaht
« C »	The « C » is pronounced as « ch » instead of the usual « j » sound	Wenuhc
« Q »	The « Q » is pronounced as « kw » instead of the usual « gw » sound	Akomahq

Language Structure and Word Construction

Wolastoqey is a language from the large linguistic family of Algonquian languages.
Like other languages in this family, it is a polysynthetic language. Words are constructed from root terms to which affixes are added: prefixes, infixes, and suffixes. A prefix is a particle added to the beginning of a word (for example, in French «in-» is a prefix indicating negation: habituel, inhabituel). A suffix is a particle added to the end of a word (for example, in French «-s» is a suffix indicating plural: un petit, des petits). An infix is a particle added inside a word.
Example:

Nkansuhsok (my ancestors)
n-	kansuhs	-ok
indicates possession: my, mine (prefix)	ancestor (root of the word)	indicates plural (suffix)

This type of linguistic structure allows for great flexibility and makes word construction in Wolastoqey relatively transparent.

Gender: Animate and Inanimate

The concept of gender in Wolastoqey does not refer to feminine and masculine like in French. Gender rather refers to the property of a word being «animate» or «inanimate.» Identifying the animate or inanimate gender of words is one of the greatest challenges in learning Wolastoqey. Similar to French, where the assignment of feminine or masculine gender is arbitrary (for instance, why is the word «table» feminine?), there are no definitive rules in Wolastoqey to determine animate or inanimate gender. You need to consult a speaker or a dictionary to find out if a word is animate or inanimate and then learn it
In this workbook, animate gender is indicated by (A) and inanimate gender by (I).

Grammatical Persons

Like in French, there are personal pronouns (I, you, he/she, etc.) in Wolastoqey. Some are the same as in French (nil = I, kil = you), while others have differences (there are notably two forms of «we»). A particularity of Wolastoqey is that personal pronouns also indicate possession (mine, yours, etc.).
In this workbook, we only use the pronouns nil (I) and kil (you). They can be used in their full form; in this case, they are placed interchangeably before or after the verb. They also appear in abbreviated form, as prefixes to the verb:n- and k-.

Personal pronouns in wolastoqey	Equivalents in English	Other meanings (indicating possession)	Notes
Nil	I, me	mine, my
Kil	you	yours, your
Nekom	he/she	his, her, hers	Neutral pronoun, can refer to a man or a woman.
Nilun	we	ours, our	Used when the person spoken to is not part of « us ».
Kilun	we	ours, our	Used when the person spoken to is part of « us ».
Kiluwaw	you (plural)	yours, your	There is no formal "you" in Wolastoqey. Kiluwaw always refers to multiple people.
Nekomaw	they	theirs, their	Neutral pronoun, can refer to men or women

2. Pronunciation Chart

VOWELS
Written	International phonetic alphabet (oral)	Examples in wolastoqey
a	[ɑ] father	aha (yes) costaqs (shut up) tama (where)
e	[ɛ], sometimes [e] ten, fake	qey (hello) mecopal (please)
i	[i], sometimes [ɪ] eager, pin	opin (sit down) woliwon (thank you)
o	[ə] believe	cipotu (maybe) ontama (no)
u	[u], sometimes [ʊ] pool, put	kilun (un; you and me) tayuwek (when) cipotu (maybe)

These consonants have two pronunciations depending on their location: between two vowels, or at the beginning or end of a word next to a vowel; next to another consonant or after an apostrophe.
c	Between vowels	[d͡ʒ] Jason	mecopal (please)
	Next to a consonant	[t͡ ʃ] match	apc oc (goodbye)
k	Between vowels	[ɡ] gallon	kil (you) naka (and)
	Next to a consonant	[k] kilo	ckuwi (come here) tan kahk ? (how are you?)
p	Between vowels	[b] baby	cipotu (maybe)
	Next to a consonant	[p] apple	apc oc (goodbye)
q	Between vowels	[ɡʷ] guacamole	keq (what) wolastoqey
	Next to a consonant	[kʷ] équation	emqan (spoon) ‘qotatq (hundred)
s	Between vowels	[z] zebra	possesom (star)
	Next to a consonant	[s] passing	mehsi (why) psi wen (everyone)
t	Between vowels	[d] adore	cipotu (maybe) mahkut (dress)
	Next to a consonant	[t] tall	wolastoqey kotuwintu (he/she wants to sing)

SEMIVOWELS (GLIDES)
Written	International phonetic alphabet (oral)	Examples in wolastoqey
w	[w] wow	wen (who) woliwon (thank you)
y	[j] yo-yo	wolastoqey tayuwek (when)

CONSONANTS
Written	International phonetic alphabet (oral)	Examples in wolastoqey
h	[h] hahaha !	aha (yes) macaha (go away)
l	[l] lamb	nil (I; me) mecopal (please) woliwon (thank you)
m	[m] mimosa	ontama (no) aptelmultineweyal (rice)
n	[n] nature	ontama (no) wen (who) nutaha (get out)

SONORITY
Sound Modifications	Symbol	Examples in wolastoqey
Vowel lengthening	ː placed after the prolonged vowel	long (normal): [lõ] longue (prolonged): [lõːɡ]
Vowel shortening; in the case ofə, barely pronounced	̆ placed above the short vowel	heure (normal): [oer] petite (short): [pə̆tit]
Vowel accentuation, emphasis on this syllable	ˈ placed just before the stressed vowel	Floride (in French): [flɔˈrid] Florida (in English): [ˈflorida]
Usually, lengthening a vowel indicates the emphasis is put on that syllable. In the event a stressed syllable also contains a prolonged vowel, the emphasis (symbol ‘) is not indicated.

Remarks:

The purpose of this phonetic transcription is to make it easier for people to learn how to pronounce Wolastoqey. It’s not about enforcing a specific pronunciation but rather offering an extra tool for learners, based on the written language and the pronunciation of some native Wolastoqey speakers.

The symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are used, allowing for a single phonetic transcription for both French and English-speaking learners. For better readability, the transcription is limited to a few elements of sound modification: vowel lengthening (ː), vowel shortening ( ̆ ), and vowel accentuation (‘).

The phonetic transcription is based on audio recordings found in three online tools:

• Wolastoqewatu ! > Trilingual Wolastoqey-French-English lexicon, where three speakers are heard for each word
• PMPortal > Bilingual English-Passamaquody-Maliseet dictionary; here, Dolly’s voice was preferred as her pronunciation resembles the Wolastoqey accent most closely
• Kahkakuhsok: Words from the Crow Clan > Dictionary of the Tremblay family from Neqotkuk, where two speakers are heard for each word

When variations in pronunciation were noticed, the transcription reflects the pronunciation of the majority of speakers. If no dominant pronunciation could be identified among speakers, the transcription is based on the written word.

3. Weyossisok / Animals

Singular	Plural	English
Ahahs	Ahahsuwok	Horse(s)
Amakehs	Amakehsok	Butterfly(ies)
Amuwes	Amuwesok	Bee(s)
Apikcilu	Apikciluwiyik	Skunk(s)
Athusoss	Athusossok	Snake(s)
Cihkonaqc	Cihkonaqcok	Turtle(s)
‘Cihpolakon	Cihpolakonok	Eagle(s)
Ehem	Ehemuwok	Chicken(s)
Kahkakuhs	Kahkakuhsok	Crow(s)
Kiwhos	Kiwhosuwok	Muskrat(s)
Kuhkukhahs	Kuhkukhahsok	Owl(s)
Malsom	Malsomok	Wolf(s)
Mus / Enahkatahat	Musok / Enahkatahahticik	Moose(s)
Muwin	Muwinuwok	Bear(s)
Olomuss	Olomussok	Dog(s)
Otuhk	Otuhkok	Deer(s)
Polam	Polamuwok	Salmon(s)
Posum	Posumok	Wildcat(s)
Psuwis	Psuwisok	Cat(s)
Putep	Putepiyik	Whale(s)
Qapit	Qapitiyik	Beaver(s)
Qaqsoss	Qaqsossok	Fox(es)
Tihtiyas	Tihtiyasok	Blue Jay(s)
Waptoq	Waptoqiyik	Goose (Geese)