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Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Michif Words

Welcome to our Michif vocabulary page! Michif is an Algonquian mixed language, derived from a mixture of the Cree and French languages. We have included twenty basic Michif words here, to compare with related American Indian languages. If you need to know a Michif word that is not currently on our page, you can take part in our Indian translations fundraiser or visit our main Michif language site for more free resources.

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Michif Word Set

Michif is a creole language with the very unusual feature of having nouns that come from the French language and verbs that come from the Cree language. You can see that the Michif nouns on this page are essentially French words with Cree-influenced phonology. (Sometimes they also incorporate the French word "le" or "la," which means "the," as the first sound of the Michif word--Michif lo comes from French l'eau, which means "the water.") Meanwhile most of the Michif verbs are clearly Cree, with the pronunciation slightly simplified. (The complex Algonquian verb morphology remains in place, on the other hand--very unusual for a mixed language!)

English	Français	Michif	Cree
One	Un	Haen	Peyak
Two	Deux	Deu	Nîso
Three	Trois	Trwaw	Nisto
Four	Quatre	Kaet	Newo
Five	Cinq	Saenk	Nîyânan
Man	Homme	Lawm	Napew
Dog	Chien	Sh'yaen	Atim
Sun	Soleil	Salay	Pîsim
Water	Eau	Lo	Nîpîy
White	Blanc	Blawn	Wâpiskâw
Yellow	Jaune	Zhounn	Osâwâw
Red	Rouge	Roozh	Mihkwâw
Black	Noir	Nwayr	Kaskitewâw
Eat	Manger	Meechishouw	Michisiw
See	Voir	Wawpouw	Wâpiw
Hear	Entendre	Payhtam	Pehtam
Sing	Chanter	Nakamouw	Nikamew
Leave	Partir	Shipwaytay	Nakatew

Click here to see Michif words compared to words in related Algonquian languages: Algonquian Indian Words

Michif Picture Dictionaries

Here are some themed Michif word lists we have put together and illustrated for language learners. Feel free to print them out for classroom purposes!

Michif animal words

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