Editing Mi'kmaq language

{{Short description|Eastern Algonquian language of Canada and the US}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Mi'kmaq
| nativename       = {{lang|mic|Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk}}
| states           =  [[Mi'kma'ki]],{{indent|3}} [[Wabanaki Confederacy|Wabankia]]<br /> [[Canada]]<br /> [[United States]]
| region           = [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Prince Edward Island]], [[Gaspé Peninsula]], the [[Newfoundland (island)|island of Newfoundland]], [[Anticosti Island]], northern [[Maine]], [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
| ethnicity        = 168,420 [[Mi'kmaq]] (2016 census)
| speakers         = 7,140, 4% of ethnic population
| date             = 2016 census
| ref              = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/lang/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=41&Geo=01|title=Language Highlight Tables, 2016 Census – Aboriginal mother tongue, Aboriginal language spoken most often at home and Other Aboriginal language(s) spoken regularly at home for the population excluding institutional residents of Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 Census – 100% Data|last=Canada|first=Government of Canada, Statistics|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|date=2 August 2017|language=en|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html|title=Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English|website=www.census.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Algic
| fam1             = [[Algic languages|Algic]]
| fam2             = [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]
| fam3             = [[Eastern Algonquian languages|Eastern Algonquian]]
| script           = {{Unbulleted list|[[Latin script]]|{{Lang|mic|[[Miꞌkmaw hieroglyphic writing|Gomgwejui'gasit]]}} (historically)}}
| nation           = [[Canada]]<br /><ul><li>[[Nova Scotia]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220407003 | title=Legislation Enshrines Mi'kmaw as Nova Scotia's First Language | date=11 May 2018 }}</ref></li></ul>
| minority         = [[Canada]]<br /><ul><li>[[New Brunswick]]</li><li>[[Prince Edward Island]]</li></ul>
| iso2             = mic
| iso3             = mic
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = mikm1235
| glottorefname    = Mi'kmaq
| pronunciation = {{IPA|mic|miːɡmax|}}
}}
{{Infobox ethnonym|[[Mi'kmaq|L'nu]]|[[Mi'kmaq|Lnu'k (Mi'kmaq)]]|'''Mi'kmawi'simk'''|[[Mi'kma'ki]]{{indent|5}}[[Wabanaki Confederacy|Wapna'ki]]}}
[[File:Mikmaq State Flag (vertical).svg|thumb|256x256px|Miꞌkmaq Vertical Flag]]
The '''Miꞌkmaq language''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|g|m|ɑː}} {{respell|MIG|mah}}; {{IPA|mic|miːɡmax|lang}}),{{refn|group=nb|name=Alternate_names|Miꞌkmaq has historically been spelled and pronounced '''Micmac''' in English. Contemporary spellings include '''Migmaw''' and '''Mikmaw''' in English, and '''{{lang|mic|Míkmaq}}''', '''{{lang|mic|Míkmaw}}''' and '''{{lang|mic|Mìgmao}}''' in Miꞌkmaq.}} or '''{{lang|mic|Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk}}''', is an [[Eastern Algonquian languages|Eastern Algonquian]] language spoken by nearly 11,000 [[Mi'kmaq|Miꞌkmaq]] in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]; the total ethnic Miꞌkmaq population is roughly 20,000.<ref name="census">{{Cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89189&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=705&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=837928 |title=Statistics Canada 2006 |access-date=2012-11-26 |archive-date=2018-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225074451/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=837928%20&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89189&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="indiglang">{{Cite web |url=http://www.yourdictionary.com/elr/natlang.html |title=Indigenous Languages Spoken in the United States |access-date=2012-11-26 |archive-date=2017-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723113231/http://www.yourdictionary.com/elr/natlang.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The native name of the language is {{lang|mic|Lnuismk}}, {{lang|mic|Miꞌkmawiꞌsimk}}<ref>[http://www.languagegeek.com/algon/mikmawisimk/mikmawisimk.html Chris Harvey's page on Míkmawísimk]</ref> or {{lang|mic|Miꞌkmwei}}<ref name="Micmac Teaching Grammar 1976"/> (in some dialects). The word {{lang|mic|Miꞌkmaq}} is a plural word meaning 'my friends' (singular {{lang|mic|miꞌkm}}<ref name="Micmac Teaching Grammar 1976">Micmac Teaching Grammar. Delisle / Metallic 1976.</ref>); the [[Adjective|adjectival]] form is {{lang|mic|Miꞌkmaw}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.native-languages.org/mikmaq.htm |title=Mi'kmaq Language and the Mi'kmaq Indian Tribe (Micmac Indians, Mikmaq, Míkmaq, Mikmak) |website=www.native-languages.org }}</ref>

==Phonology==
The [[Phoneme|phonemic]] inventory of Miꞌkmaq is shown below.

===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2|[[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan=2|[[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan=2|[[Back vowel|Back]]
|- class=small
! [[short vowel|short]]
! [[long vowel|long]]
! short
! long
! short
! long
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| colspan=2 | 
| {{IPA link|u}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}}
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|ə}}
| {{IPA link|o}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2 | 
| {{IPA link|a}}
| {{IPA link|aː}}
| colspan=2 | 
|}

===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! rowspan=2 | 
! rowspan=2 | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan=2 | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|- class=small
! plain
! [[labialization|labialized]]
|-
! [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
| 
| 
| 
|-
! [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|k}}
| {{IPA link|kʷ}}
|-
! [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| 
| {{IPA link|s}}
| 
| {{IPA link|x}}
| {{IPA link|xʷ}}
|-
! [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| 
| {{IPA link|l}}
| {{IPA link|j}}
| 
| {{IPA link|w}}
|}

The sounds of Miꞌkmaq can be divided into two groups: [[obstruent]]s ({{IPA|/p, t, k, kʷ, t͡ʃ, s, x, xʷ/}}) and [[sonorant]]s ({{IPA|/m, n, w, l, j/}} and all [[vowel]]s).

The obstruents have a wide variety of pronunciations. When they are located word-initially or next to another obstruent, they are [[Voicelessness|voiceless]] {{IPA|[p, t, k, kʷ, t͡ʃ, s, x, xʷ]}}. However, when they are located between sonorants, they are [[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]], and appear as {{IPA|[b, d, ɡ, ɡʷ, d͡ʒ, z, ɣ, ɣʷ]}}.<ref name="bragg1976">{{cite thesis | type = MA | last = Bragg | first = Russell A. | title = Some Aspects of the Phonology of Newfoundland Micmac | date=1976}}</ref> When the plosives and [[affricate]] (namely {{IPA|/t͡ʃ/}}) are located word-finally, they may be [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]] and appear as {{IPA|[pʰ, tʰ, kʰ, kʷʰ, tʃʰ]}}.{{Citation needed|reason = Reliable source needed for the whole sentence | date = July 2015}} An example of each kind of pronunciation is given below.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:left
! [[Allophone]]
! [[Orthography]]
! [[Phonemic transcription|Phonemic]] 
! [[Phonetic transcription|Phonetic]]
! [[Gloss (linguistics)|Gloss]]
|-
| Voiceless
| {{Lang|mic|tia'm}}
| {{IPA|/tiaːm/|lang=mic}}
| {{IPA|[tiaːm]|lang=mic}}
| ''moose''
|-
| Voiced
| {{Lang|mic|Miꞌkmaq}}
| {{IPA|/miːkmax/|lang=mic}}
| {{IPA|[miːɡmax]|lang=mic}}
| ''Miꞌkmaq''
|-
| Aspirated
| {{Lang|mic|sqolj}}
| {{IPA|/əsxolt͡ʃ/|lang=mic}}
| {{IPA|[əsxolt͡ʃʰ]|lang=mic}}
| ''frog''
|}

Miꞌkmaq distinguishes between long and short vowels and consonants, with [[long consonant]]s indicated in Listuguj by doubling the consonant. Beyond expanding in length, long consonants add a [[schwa]] when they precede other consonants. For instance, compare {{IPA|/en.mitk/|lang=mic}} ({{gloss|flow away}}), written in Listuguj as {{lang|mic|e'''n'''mitg}} with {{IPA|/en.nə.mit/|lang=mic}} ({{gloss|stick into}}), written in Listuguj as {{lang|mic|e'''nn'''mit}};<ref>{{Cite web |title=ennmit |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/ennmit.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref> or, {{IPA|/tox.tʃu.pi.la.wek/|lang=mic}} ({{gloss|hoist}}), written in Listuguj as {{lang|mic|toqjuꞌpila'''w'''eg}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=toqju'pilaweg |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/toqju%27pilaweg.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref> with {{IPA|/ke.si.kaw.wek/|lang=mic}} ({{gloss|loud}}), written in Listuguj as {{lang|mic|gesiga'''ww'''eg}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=gesigawweg |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/gesigawweg.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref>

Listuguj orthography occasionally begins words with consonant clusters, as in {{lang|mic|'''gt'''aꞌn}} ({{gloss|ocean}}) and {{lang|mic|'''mg'''umi}} ({{gloss|ice}}). However, such clusters are pronounced over separate syllables, with a schwa preceding the cluster; for instance, {{lang|mic|gtaꞌn}} is pronounced {{IPA|/ək.taːn/}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=gta'n |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/gta%27n.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref> while {{lang|mic|mgumi}} is pronounced {{IPA|/əm.ku.mi/|lang=mic}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=mgumi |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/mgumi.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref> On the other hand, word-final clusters, such as in {{lang|mic|asige'''tg'''}} ({{gloss|instigate}}) are pronounced over a single syllable: compare the pronunciation of {{lang|mic|asigetg}}, {{IPA|/a.si.ketk/|lang=mic}},<ref>{{Cite web |title=asigetg |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/asigetg.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref> with {{lang|mic|mestꞌg}} ({{gloss|taste}}), {{IPA|/mes.tək/|lang=mic}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=mest'g |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/words/mest%27g.html |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=www.mikmaqonline.org}}</ref>

==Grammar==

===Syntax===
Miꞌkmaq uses [[free word order]], based on emphasis rather than a traditionally fixed order of [[Subject (grammar)|subject]]s, [[Object (grammar)|object]]s and [[verb]]s. For instance, the sentence "I saw a moose standing right there on the hill" could be stated "{{lang|mic|sapmiꞌk ala nemaqtꞌk na tett '''tia'm''' kaqamit}}" ({{gloss|I saw him/there/on the hill/right-there/'''a moose'''/he was standing}}) or "{{lang|mic|sapmiꞌk ala '''tia'm''' nemaqtꞌk na tett kaqamit}}" ({{gloss|I saw him/there/'''a moose'''/on the hill/right-there/he was standing}}); the latter sentence puts emphasis on the moose by placing {{lang|mic|tia'm}} ({{gloss|moose}}) earlier in the utterance. Miꞌkmaq, as a [[polysynthetic language]], has verbs which usually contain the sentence's subject and object: for instance, the aforementioned {{lang|mic|sapmiꞌk}} translates to 'I saw him'.

While it is thus difficult to classify Miꞌkmaq under traditional [[word order]] categories such as SVO or SOV, a more fixed aspect in the language comes in the morphology of its verbs. Certain areas of internal morphology of verbs in Miꞌkmaq have regular placement: for instance, when the [[Aspect (grammar)|aspect]] of a verb is included, it appears as the first prefix, while the [[Negative (grammar)|negative]] marker always appears directly after the verb root. An example for both of these instances can be seen in the Miꞌkmaq verb {{lang|mic|kisipawnatqaꞌtiꞌw}} ({{lang|mic|kisi-paw-natq-aꞌti-w}}), translated as 'they cannot get out': the prefix {{lang|mic|kisi}} marks the verb as being in the [[completive aspect]], whereas the negative marker, {{lang|mic|w}}, appears directly after the verb root {{lang|mic|aꞌti}} ({{gloss|the two move}}). However, these solidly placed elements of verbs are paired with markers that can appear throughout the word, depending again on emphasis; [[animacy]] in particular can appear fluidly throughout verbs. In short, while a few specific aspects of Miꞌkmaq can be predicted, its [[syntax]] in general is largely free and dependent on context.

Miꞌkmaq verbs are also marked for [[Tense (grammar)|tense]].

===Nouns===
Nouns in Miꞌkmaq are either [[Animacy|animate or inanimate]]. This is a common feature among [[Algonquian languages]]. The verbs change depending on the noun's animacy. For example:

* {{lang|mic|Nemitu}} – {{gloss|I see (inanimate noun)}}
* {{lang|mic|Nemi'k}} – {{gloss|I see (animate noun)}}

==Writing system==
[[File:MiKmaqStopSign.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Miꞌkmaq-language stop sign in [[Elsipogtog First Nation]]]]
Miꞌkmaq is written using a number of [[Latin script|Latin alphabets]] based on ones devised by [[missionaries]] in the 19th century. Previously, the language was written in [[Miꞌkmaq hieroglyphic writing]], a script of partially native origin. The Francis-Smith orthography used here was developed in 1974 and was adopted as the official orthography of the [[Mi'kmaq Nation|Míkmaq Nation]] in 1980. It is the most widely used orthography and is that used by Nova Scotian Mikmaq and by the Míkmaq Grand Council. It is quite similar to the "Lexicon" orthography, differing from it only in its use of the straight [[apostrophe]] {{angle bracket|ꞌ}} or [[acute accent]] {{angle bracket|´}} instead of the [[Colon (punctuation)|colon]] {{angle bracket|:}} to mark vowel length.

When the Francis-Smith orthography was first developed, the straight apostrophe (often called a "tick") was the designated symbol for vowel length, but since software applications incorrectly autocorrected the tick to a [[curly apostrophe]], a secondary means of indicating vowel length was formally accepted, the acute accent. The barred-i {{angle bracket|ɨ}} for schwa is sometimes replaced by the more common circumflex-i {{angle bracket|î}}.

In Listuguj orthography, an apostrophe marks long vowels as well as schwa, and the letter {{angle bracket|g}} is used instead of the letter {{angle bracket|k}}.

The 19th-century Pacifique orthography omits {{angle bracket|w}} and {{angle bracket|y}}, using {{angle bracket|o}} and {{angle bracket|i}} for these. It also ignores vowel length. The 19th-century orthography of [[Silas Tertius Rand]], using characters from [[Isaac Pitman]]'s [[English Phonotypic Alphabet|Phonotypic Alphabet]], is also given in the table below; this orthography is more complex than the table suggests, particularly as far as vowel quantity and quality is concerned, employing various letters such as &lang;<span style="display:inline-block;top:0.5em;transform:matrix(-1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);">a</span>&rang; (backwards {{angle bracket|a}}), &lang;<span style="display:inline-block;top:0.5em;transform:matrix(-1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);">à</span>&rang; (backwards {{angle bracket|a}} with acute accent), {{angle bracket|ɛ}}, {{angle bracket|ɛ́}}, {{angle bracket|ɯ}}, {{angle bracket|ɯ́}}, {{angle bracket|ɹ̇}}, {{angle bracket|ɹ́}}, {{angle bracket|ơ}}, &lang;<span style="display:inline-block;top:0.5em;transform:matrix(-1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0);">u</span>&rang; (backwards {{angle bracket|u}}), etc.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Miꞌkmaq orthographies
|-
! align="center"|'''IPA'''
! align="center"|{{IPA|a}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|aː}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|e}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|eː}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|i}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|iː}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|ə}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|tʃ}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|k}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|l}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|m}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|n}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|o}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|oː}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|p}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|x}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|s}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|t}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|u}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|uː}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|w}}
! align="center"|{{IPA|j}}
|-
! '''Francis-Smith'''
| align="center"|a
| align="center"|aꞌ/á
| align="center"|e
| align="center"|eꞌ/é
| align="center"|i
| align="center"|iꞌ/í
| align="center"|ɨ
| align="center"|j
| align="center"|k
| align="center"|l
| align="center"|m
| align="center"|n
| align="center"|o
| align="center"|oꞌ/ó
| align="center"|p
| align="center"|q
| align="center"|s
| align="center"|t
| align="center"|u
| align="center"|uꞌ/ú
| align="center"|w
| align="center"|y
|-
! '''Listuguj'''
| align="center"|a
| align="center"|aꞌ
| align="center"|e
| align="center"|eꞌ
| align="center"|i
| align="center"|iꞌ
| align="center"|ꞌ
| align="center"|j
| align="center"|g
| align="center"|l
| align="center"|m
| align="center"|n
| align="center"|o
| align="center"|oꞌ
| align="center"|p
| align="center"|q
| align="center"|s
| align="center"|t
| align="center"|u
| align="center"|uꞌ
| align="center"|w
| align="center"|y
|-
! '''Lexicon'''
| align="center"|a
| align="center"|a:
| align="center"|e
| align="center"|e:
| align="center"|i
| align="center"|i:
| align="center"|ɨ
| align="center"|j
| align="center"|k
| align="center"|l
| align="center"|m
| align="center"|n
| align="center"|o
| align="center"|o:
| align="center"|p
| align="center"|q
| align="center"|s
| align="center"|t
| align="center"|u
| align="center"|u:
| align="center"|w
| align="center"|y
|-
! '''Pacifique'''
| colspan=2 align="center"|a
| colspan=2 align="center"|e
| colspan=2 align="center"|i
| align="center"|
| align="center"|tj
| align="center"|g
| align="center"|l
| align="center"|m
| align="center"|n
| colspan=2 align="center"|ô
| align="center"|p
| align="center"|
| align="center"|s
| align="center"|t
| colspan=3 align="center"|o
| align="center"|i
|-
! '''Rand'''
| align="center"|ă
| align="center"|a â
| align="center"|ĕ
| align="center"|ā
| align="center"|ĭ
| align="center"|e
| align="center"|ŭ
| align="center"|dj tc̡
| align="center"|g k
| align="center"|l
| align="center"|m
| align="center"|n
| align="center"|ŏ
| align="center"|o ō
| align="center"|b p
| align="center"|h
| align="center"|s
| align="center"|d t
| align="center"|ŏ
| align="center"|oo u
| align="center"|w
| align="center"|y
|}
<!--
==Grammar==

{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}-->

==Number system==

===1–10===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! 1
| {{lang|mic|newt}}
|-
! 2
| {{lang|mic|taꞌpu}}
|-
! 3
| {{lang|mic|siꞌst}}
|-
! 4
| {{lang|mic|neꞌw}}
|-
! 5
| {{lang|mic|naꞌn}}
|-
! 6
| {{lang|mic|asꞌgom}}
|-
! 7
| {{lang|mic|lluigneg}}
|-
! 8
| {{lang|mic|ugumuljin}}
|-
! 9
| {{lang|mic|pesgunateg}}
|-
! 10
| {{lang|mic|neꞌwtisgaꞌq}}
|}

Miꞌkmaq uses a [[decimal numeral system]]. Every multiple-digit number is formed by using one of the first nine numerals as a prefix or a preceding word, as seen in the number for ten, {{lang|mic|neꞌwtisgaq}}, a combination of the prefix {{lang|mic|neꞌwt -}} (derived from {{lang|mic|newt}}) and the root {{lang|mic|isgaꞌq}}, meaning ten (the pattern can be seen in {{lang|mic|tapuisgaꞌq}} for 20, {{lang|mic|nesisgaꞌq}} for 30, etc.) While 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 all use a single word containing a prefix, the tens between 60 and 90 use the numeral as a preceding word to a separate word meaning ten, {{lang|mic|teꞌsisgaꞌq}}: for instance, 60 is written as {{lang|mic|asꞌgom teꞌsisgaꞌq}}.

Numbers between the tens are stated by multiple-word phrases, beginning with the ten-based root number, such as {{lang|mic|neꞌwtisgaq}}, followed by {{lang|mic|jel}} (meaning 'and' or 'also') and ending with one of the nine numerals: for instance, the number 28 is constructed as {{lang|mic|tapuisgaꞌq jel ugumuljin}}, or literally 'twenty and eight'.

For numbers beyond 99, Miꞌkmaq uses a pattern similar to that of 60 to 99, with numeral words preceding separate roots that identify higher numbers (such as {{lang|mic|gasgꞌptnnaqan}}, meaning 'hundred', or {{lang|mic|pituimtlnaqn}} meaning 'thousand'); for instance, 300 is written as {{lang|mic|siꞌst gasgꞌptnnaqan}}, while 2,000 is written as {{lang|mic|taꞌpu pituimtlnaqn}}. The exceptions to that pattern are the numbers 100 and 1,000, which are simply the roots {{lang|mic|gasgꞌptnnaqan}} and {{lang|mic|pituimtlnaqn}}, respectively. Similarly to digits between the tens, the connecting word {{lang|mic|jel}} is used between hundreds and tens, or thousands and hundreds: for example, the number 3,452 is written as {{lang|mic|siꞌst pituimtlnaqn jel neꞌw gasgꞌptnnaqan jel naꞌnisgaq jel taꞌpu}}.

On top of the basic structure, numbers in Miꞌkmaq must agree with the animacy of whatever they are counting: for instance, when speaking of two people, {{lang|mic|taꞌpusijik}} is used, as opposed to the number used for two days, {{lang|mic|taꞌpugnaꞌq}}. The suffix {{lang|mic|-ijik}} to denote the counting of animate subjects and the suffix {{lang|mic|-gnaꞌq}} to denote the counting of inanimate subjects are common, but animacy-marking suffixes are somewhat fluid and vary by number and dialect. {{Citation needed|reason = Reliable source needed for this section | date = August 2017}}

==Language revitalization efforts and teaching==
The Miꞌkmaq language possesses a [[degree of endangerment]] level of vulnerable under the [[Red Book of Endangered Languages|UNESCO]] Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger scale.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger |url=http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap.html |access-date=2020-12-11 |website=www.unesco.org}}</ref> A level of vulnerable means the language may not be used consistently and instead the dominant language English is opted for.<ref name=":0" /> This also means it is still somewhat commonly spoken by younger generations or children of Miꞌkmaq people.<ref name=":0" /> A lack of fluent Miꞌkmaq speakers is due to the [[cultural genocide]] performed by the Canadian government through the introduction of the [[Canadian Indian residential school system]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=MacDonald |first1=David B. |last2=Hudson |first2=Graham |date=2012 |title=The Genocide Question and Indian Residential Schools in Canada |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23320978 |journal=Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=427–449 |doi=10.1017/S000842391200039X|jstor=23320978 |s2cid=154633673 |issn=0008-4239|url-access=subscription }}</ref> These schools under the notation of assimilation, forced Indigenous children to reject their cultural identity and language.<ref name=":2" /> These schools resulted in a significant number of children physically and mentally abused and without the means to speak their mother tongue.

Wagmatcook, Cape Breton, is undergoing significant efforts to revitalize the language. The community created a variety of children's books suited for a range of ages to develop Miꞌkmaq language skills as children mature.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Donna-Lee|last2=Peck |first2=Josephine |date=2004-09-01 |title=WKSITNUOW WEJKWAPNIAQEWA – MI'KMAQ: A VOICE FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE Dawn |url=https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/8760 |journal=McGill Journal of Education / Revue des sciences de l'éducation de McGill |language=en |volume=39 |issue=3 |issn=1916-0666}}</ref> The use of Miꞌkmaq immersion schools in this area also increased the proficiency in the language for children and an improved attachment to their Indigenous identity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Usborne |first1=Esther |last2=Peck |first2=Josephine |last3=Smith |first3=Donna-Lee|last4=Taylor |first4=Donald M. |date=2011 |title=Learning through an Aboriginal Language: The Impact on Students' English and Aboriginal Language Skills |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/canajeducrevucan.34.4.200 |journal=Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=200–215 |issn=0380-2361}}</ref> The immersion schools allowed children to learn their mother tongue, which increases the number of fluent speakers while still obtaining the dominant language.<ref name=":3" /> Community member educators also participated in a program to obtain a Certificate in Aboriginal Literacy Education that increased their fluency in the language.<ref name=":1" />

[[Cape Breton University]]'s Unamaꞌki College specializes "in Miꞌkmaq history, culture and education". As of 2013, "it has some 250 aboriginal students".<ref name="beswick">{{Cite news |last = Beswick |first = Truro |title = Efforts gain strength across N.S. to ensure future for Miꞌkmaq language |work = The Chronicle Herald |location = Halifax, NS |access-date = 2013-10-24 |date = 2013-10-16 |url = http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1161000-efforts-gain-strength-across-ns-to-ensure-future-for-mi-kmaq-language }}</ref>

{{blockquote|"Parents come to me and say they hear their children in the backseat of the car speaking Miꞌkmaq and they're excited", said the Miꞌkmaq language instructor at Lnu Siꞌpuk Kinaꞌmuokuom Miꞌkmaq school in [[Indian Brook 14|Indian Brook]]. Miꞌkmaq language courses are mandatory from grades Primary to 12 at the school, which only opened six years ago. Evening classes are starting as of Oct. 2013.}}

Also as of 2013, [[Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia]]'s Miꞌkmaq Burial Grounds Research and Restoration Association has about forty students in its Miꞌkmaq language revitalization classes, and Miꞌkmaq greetings are becoming more common in public places.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Myslik |first = Jaime |title = Miꞌkmaq is making a comeback in a Nova Scotia community – Politics – CBC News |work = CBC News : Politics |access-date = 2014-03-28 |date = 2014-03-25 |url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mi-kmaq-is-making-a-comeback-in-a-nova-scotia-community-1.2557138 }}</ref>

In 2021, Emma Stevens, a member of the [[Eskasoni First Nation]], recorded a cover version of the Beatles song "[[Blackbird (Beatles song)|Blackbird]]" in the language to raise awareness and help in its revitalization efforts.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99-LoEkAA3w youtube.com]</ref>

==History and related languages==
[[File:Tan teladakadidjik apostalewidjik 1863.jpg|thumb|right|Bible translations into the Miꞌkmaq language]]

Miꞌkmaq is one of the [[Algic languages]], a family that once spanned from a small portion of California across [[Central Canada]], the [[Midwestern United States]], and the northeastern coast of North America. Within this family, Miꞌkmaq is part of the [[Eastern Algonquian languages|Eastern Algonquian subgroup]] spoken largely along the Atlantic coast. It is closely related to several extant languages, such as [[Malecite-Passamaquoddy language|Malecite-Passamaquoddy]], [[Massachusett language|Massachusett]] and [[Munsee language|Munsee]] as well as extinct languages like [[Abenaki language|Abenaki]] and [[Unami language|Unami]]. Beyond having a similar language background and sharing close geographic proximity, the Miꞌkmaq notably held an alliance with four other tribes within the Eastern Algonquian language group known as the [[Wabanaki Confederacy]]: in short, a history of long-term language contact has existed between Miꞌkmaq and its close linguistic relatives.

Miꞌkmaq has many similarities with its fellow Eastern Algonquian languages, including multiple word cognates: for instance, compare the Miꞌkmaq word for 'woman', {{transliteration|mic|eꞌpit}}, to the Maliseet {{transliteration|pqm|ehpit}} {{IPA|[æpit]|lang=pqm}}, or the varying related words for the color 'white': {{transliteration|mic|wapeꞌt}} in Miꞌkmaq, {{transliteration|pqm|wapi}} {{IPA|[wapi]|lang=pqm}} in Maliseet, {{transliteration|umu|waapii}} {{IPA|[wapi]|lang=umu}} in Munsee, {{lang|abe|wôbi}} {{IPA|[wɔ̃bɪ]|lang=abe}} in Abenaki and {{lang|unm|wòpe}} {{IPA|[wɔpe]|lang=unm}} in Unami. Even outside of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup, there exist similar cognates within the larger Algic family, such as the [[Cree language|Cree]] {{transliteration|cr|wāpiskāw}} {{IPA|[wɔ:bɪska:w]|lang=cr}} and the [[Miami-Illinois language|Miami-Illinois]] {{transliteration|mia|waapi}} {{IPA|[wa:pi]|lang=mia}}.<ref name="cognates">{{Cite web|url=http://www.native-languages.org/famalg_words.htm|title=Algonkian/Algonquian Words (Algic)|website=www.native-languages.org}}</ref>

Like many Native American languages, Miꞌkmaq uses a classifying system of [[animacy|animate versus inanimate words]]. The animacy system in general is common, but the specifics of Miꞌkmaq's system differ even from closely related Algic languages. For instance, in Wampanoag, the word for 'Sun', {{transliteration|wam|cone}}, is inanimate, but the word for 'Earth', {{transliteration|wam|ahkee}}, is animate, a fact used by some scholars to claim that the Wampanoag people were aware of the Earth's rotation around an unmoving Sun;<ref name="Animacy">[http://www.bostonreview.net/BR37.1/anne_makepeace_wampanoag_we_still_live_here.php Boston Review: Touching Their Ancestors' Hands, 'Animacy']</ref> however, in Miꞌkmaq, both the word for 'Sun', {{lang|mic|naꞌguꞌset}}, and the word for 'Earth', {{lang|mic|ugsꞌtqamu}}, are animate, and parallel cultural knowledge regarding astronomy cannot be gleaned through the language. Much like [[grammatical gender]], the core concept of animacy is shared across similar languages while the exact connotations animacy has within Miꞌkmaq are unique.

Many [[Acadian French]] and [[Chiac]] words are rooted in the Miꞌkmaq language, due to the Acadians and Miꞌkmaq living together prior to the [[Expulsion of the Acadians]] and the British colonization of [[Acadia]]; in French-speaking areas, traces of Miꞌkmaq can also be found largely in geographical names within regions historically that were occupied by the Miꞌkmaq people, including [[Quebec]]<ref name="Quebec">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/quebec|title=quebec &#124; Origin and meaning of quebec by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref> and several towns in Nova Scotia such as [[Antigonish, Nova Scotia|Antigonish]] and [[Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia|Shubenacadie]]. Moreover, several Miꞌkmaq words have made their way into colonizing languages: the English words ''[[boreal woodland caribou|caribou]]''<ref name="caribou">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/caribou|title=caribou &#124; Origin and meaning of caribou by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref> and ''toboggan''<ref name="toboggan">{{Cite web|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/toboggan|title=toboggan &#124; Origin and meaning of toboggan by Online Etymology Dictionary|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref> are borrowings from Miꞌkmaq. The name ''caribou'' was probably derived from the Miꞌkmaq word {{lang|mic|xalibu}} or {{lang|mic|Qalipu}} meaning 'the one who paws'.<ref name=HWW>{{citation|url=http://www.hww.ca/en/species/mammals/caribou.html |orig-year=1985 |year=2005 |isbn=0-662-39659-6 |work=Canadian Wildlife Service/EC |title=Hinterland Who's Who |editor-first=Maureen |editor-last=Kavanagh |access-date=21 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105839/http://www.hww.ca/en/species/mammals/caribou.html |archive-date=24 December 2013 }}</ref> [[Marc Lescarbot]] in his publication in French in 1610 used the term ''caribou''. [[Silas Tertius Rand]] translated the Miꞌkmaq word {{lang|mic|Kaleboo}} as 'caribou' in his Miꞌkmaq-English dictionary (Rand 1888:98).

The aforementioned use of [[Miꞌkmaq hieroglyphic writing|hieroglyphic writing]] in pre-colonial Miꞌkmaq society shows that Miꞌkmaq was one of the few Native American languages to have a writing system before European contact.

Linguist Peter Bakker identified two [[Basque language|Basque]] [[loanword]]s in Miꞌkmaq, presumably because of extensive trade contact between Basque sailors and Native Americans in the 16th century.<ref>Bakker, P. (1989). Two Basque Loanwords in Micmac. [[International Journal of American Linguistics]] Vol. 55, No. 2 (Apr., 1989), pp. 258–261</ref> The overall friendly exchanges starting in mid-16th century between the Miꞌkmaqs and the [[history of Basque whaling|Basque whalers]] provided the basis for the development of an [[Algonquian–Basque pidgin]] with a strong Miꞌkmaq imprint, which was recorded to be still in use in the early 18th century.

==Placenames==
* Placenames ending in Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Quoddy}}, a word used by the natives to designate a fertile area like Passamaquoddy, Shubenacadie and Tracadie.
* [[Amqui]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|amqui}} (place of amusement or pleasure)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=1250 |title=Amqui (ville) |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |access-date=2012-01-30 |language=fr}}</ref>
*[[Aroostook County]], from Miꞌkmaq meaning 'beautiful/clear water'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aroostook|title = Aroostook &#124; county, Maine, United States &#124; Britannica}}</ref>
*[[Bouctouche]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Tjipogtotjg}} (pronounced ''Chebooktoosk'')  meaning 'great little harbour'
* [[Cascapédia–Saint-Jules|Cascapédia]], from Miꞌkmaq {{transliteration|mic|kaska}} ('broad') and {{transliteration|mic|pegiag}} ('river').
* [[Causapscal]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Goesôpsiag}} (or {{lang|mic|Gesapsgel}}, {{lang|mic|Gesôpsgigel}}), meaning 'stony bottom', 'swift water', or 'rocky point', likely referring to the rocky river bed of the Causapscal River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=341124 |title=Causapscal (Ville) |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |access-date=2012-01-31 |language=fr}}</ref>
* [[Gaspé Peninsula]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Gespedeg}} ('land recently acquired')
* [[Gaspé, Quebec]], {{lang|mic|Gespeg}} ('land's end')
* [[Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Pijeboogwek}} ('river of long tides')<ref name="Hamilton1996">{{cite book|author=William Baillie Hamilton|title=Place Names of Atlantic Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UAvyE0pN5akC&pg=PA91|year=1996|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-7570-3|page=91}}</ref>
* Matapédia, from Miꞌkmaq {{transliteration|mic|matapegiag}} ('river junction', from the parts {{lang|mic|mata}} ('junction') and {{transliteration|mic|pegiag}} ('river'), referring to the [[Matapedia River]] that crosses the town just before its confluence with the [[Restigouche River]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=39702 |title=Matapédia (Municipalité) |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |access-date=2012-01-12 |language=fr}}</ref>
* [[Paspébiac]], from Miꞌkmaq {{transliteration|mic|papgeg ipsigiag}}, meaning 'split [[Mudflat|flats]]' or 'lagoon'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=353831 |title=Paspébiac (Ville) |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |access-date=2011-12-29 |language=fr}}</ref>
* [[Quebec City|Quebec]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Gepèèg}}
* [[Restigouche County, New Brunswick|Restigouche]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Listuguj}}
* [[Saint-Zénon-du-Lac-Humqui, Quebec|Lac-Humqui]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|amqui}} (place of amusement or pleasure)
* [[Sayabec]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Sakpediak}}
* [[Shediac]], from Miꞌkmaq {{lang|mic|Es-ed-ei-ik}}, which means 'running far in' (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches)
* [[Tatamagouche]], from {{lang|mic|Takamegoochk}}, which means 'barred across the entrance with sand'.

A 2012 book, by the Miꞌkmaq linguist Bernie Francis and anthropologist Trudy Sable, ''The Language of this Land, Miꞌkmaꞌki,'' "examines the relationship between Miꞌkmaq language and landscape."<ref>{{Cite news
| title = Book launch today
| work = Cape Breton Post
| access-date = 2012-10-21
| date = 2012-03-26
| url = http://www.capebretonpost.com/Arts/Entertainment/2012-03-26/article-2939995/Book-launch-today/1
}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Maillard, M. l'abbé, redigée et mise en ordre par Joseph M. Bellenger, ptre. 1864. ''[https://archive.org/details/grammairedelalan00mail Grammaire de la langue mikmaque.]'' Nouvelle-York, Presse Cramoisy de J.M. Shea. Reprinted 2007: Toronto: Global Language Press, {{ISBN|1-897367-14-7}}
* Delisle, Gilles L.; Metallic, Emmanuel L. 1976. ''[http://eric.ed.gov/?q=micmac&pg=2&id=ED136614 Micmac Teaching Grammar. Preliminary version.]'' La Macaza, Quebec: Manitou Community College.
* Pacifique, Père. 1939. ''Leçons grammaticales théoriques et pratiques de la langue micmaque.'' Sainte-Anne de Restigouche, P.Q. Reprinted 2007: Toronto: Global Language Press, {{ISBN|1-897367-15-5}}
* [[Silas Tertius Rand|Rand, Silas Tertius]]. 1875. ''First reading book in the Micmac language.'' Halifax: Nova Scotia Printing Company ([https://archive.org/details/afirstreadingbo00rangoog IA], [https://books.google.com/books?id=iGkiAAAAMAAJ GB]). Reprinted 2006: Vancouver: Global Language Press, {{ISBN|0-9738924-8-X}}
* Rand, Silas Tertius. 1888. ''[https://archive.org/details/dictionarylangu00randgoog Dictionary of the language of the Micmac Indians, who reside in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton and Newfoundland.]'' Halifax: Nova Scotia Printing Company. Reprinted 1994: New Delhi & Madra
* {{Cite book
| publisher = Cape Breton University Press
| isbn = 9781897009499
| last = Sable
| first = Trudy
| title = The language of this land, Miꞌkmaꞌki
| location = Sydney, NS
| year = 2012
| oclc = 773473837
}}s: Asian Educational Services, {{ISBN|81-206-0954-9}}
*

==External links==
{{wikiversity|Mi'kmaq language}}
{{wiktionary category}}
{{incubator|code = mic}}
*[https://www.mikmaqonline.org/ Miꞌkmaq Online Talking Dictionary]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041013121327/http://www.mikmaq.com/language/index.html Internet Archive of "Míkmaq Language"]
* [http://www.native-languages.org/mikmaq.htm Native Languages page on Míkmaq]
* [http://www.languagegeek.com/algon/mikmawisimk/mikmawisimk.html Chris Harvey's page on Míkmawísimk (Languagegeek)]
* [http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in-micmac/en/mic/ How to count in Miꞌkmaq]
* [http://www.language-archives.org/language/mic OLAC resources in and about the Miꞌkmaq language]

{{Mi'kmaq}}
{{Algic languages}}
{{Languages of Quebec}}
{{Languages of Canada}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikmaq Language}}
[[Category:Mi'kmaq|+]]
[[Category:Eastern Algonquian languages]]
[[Category:Indigenous languages of the North American eastern woodlands]]
[[Category:First Nations languages in Canada]]
[[Category:Languages of the United States]]
[[Category:Lexis (linguistics)]]
[[Category:Languages of Nova Scotia]]