Chicoutim
Chicoutim Cikoutim | |
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Spoken in: | Baranxtu, Cikoutimi, Jonquiere-Tadoussac |
Region: | International Democratic Union |
Speakers: | 600 millions (est) |
Genetic classification: | creole |
Official status | |
Official language in: | Cikoutimi, provincial recognition in Baranxtu |
Regulated by: | Cikoutim Language Board |
Chicoutim (also Cikutim) is a creole that arose of the contacts between French settlers and the indigenous Alimi and Halani tribes in the area of modern day Cikoutimi and some parts of western Jonquiere-Tadoussac.
Of all descendents of Akes Mersanint, Chicoutim is the most widely distributed and least likely to die out. More than 7 million people currently speak it as their mother language.
Contents
Phonology and Orthography
Chicoutim is written in a simplified version of the Latin alphabet; it mostly adheres to the rules of French orthography with only two exceptions:
- c is realised as [tS] - Cikoutimi [tSI.ku.tI.mI]
- j is realised as [dZ] - Jontadène [dZo~.ta.dEn]
Morphology
Of the complex morphology of both French and Akes Mersanint, only few aspects were continued into Chicoutim. Whereas a rather elaborate case system was developed, only three tenses survived, and Chicoutim has dropped all aspects, moods or voices.
Number and gender remains largely unexpressed in Chicoutim, as well.
Number and Gender
There is no grammatical number in Chicoutim; instead, if number should be expressed, some form of semantic number is used.
Something similar can be said of gender. Words such as ape (male) or lou (female) are sometimes used as adjectives to denote gender.
Cases
Morphosyntactic Alignment
accusative case | direct object | -que | I see father. | Me wouique waraille. | |
objective case (indirect) | indirect object | -se | I gave it to father. | Me wouise dounnaille. |
Relation
benefactive cause | for/intended for sth. | -pour | I made this for father'. | Me cique wouipour fégoure. | |
possessive case | direct possession by sth. | -en | This is father's car. | Ci watoure wouien aille. | |
sociative case | along/together with sth. | -awè | I visited Jonquière with father. | Me Jonquièrese wouiawè wisitégoure. |
Place
ablative case | away from sth. | -dè | She goes away from the house. | Ile kakoudè alaille. | |
adessive case | near/at/by | -prè | The tree stands at the house. | Pepou kakouprè aille. | |
elative case | out of sth. | -parte | They go out of the house. | Ile kakouparte alaille. | |
illative case | into sth. | -a | They go into the house. | Ile kakoua alaille. | |
inessive case | inside sth. | -dan | They are inside the house. | Ile kakoudan aille. | |
superessive case | on top of sth. | -sour | The cat's on top of the house. | Catte kakousour aille. |
Tenses
Only three tenses are present in Chicoutim: the present, the future and the past. However, depending on their context, they can take additional meanings such as pluperfect or future perfect.
The three tenses are built by adding a suffix to the verb stem.
Tense | Suffix | to see | war | |
Present | -aille | I see him. | Me ilque waraille. | |
Preterit | -goure | I saw him. | Me ilque wargoure. | |
Future | -osse | I will see him. | Me ilque warosse. |
These suffixes are derived from three different verbs of Akes Mersanint, but have become the conjugated forms of the Chicoutim copula to be (no infinitive).
aille | am/are/is | I am happy. | Me konten aille. | |
goure | was/were | I was happy. | Me konten goure. | |
osse | will be | I will be happy. | Me konten osse. |
Pronouns
English | Basic Form |
I / we | me |
you | tou |
he, she / they | ile |
Syntax
Word Order
The standard word order of Chicoutim is Subject-Object-Verb. However, whereas moods are not expressed in a morphological way, they can be (and often are) expressed by word order.
- Indicative mood: Subject-Object-Verb
- Tou kontent aille. - You are happy.
- Imperative mood: Verb-Subject-Object
- Prennaille tou watourque! - Take the car!
- Interrogative mood: Subject-aille-Object-Verb
- Tou aille watourque mese pretéosse? - Are you going to lend me your car?
- Conditional mood: Subject-Verb (past tense)-Object
- Me lirgoure magazinque sile goure bon. : I would read the magazine if it were good.
- Optative mood: Subject-Verb (future tense)-Object
- Tou alosse bon!" - May you be well / You may be well! / Hello!
- Negative mood: Subject-Object-Verb + pas
- Ile daupauque awaille pas. - They don't have bread.
- Pas ile daupauque awaille (mè ileque manjaille). - They don't have bread (but they eat it).
- Ile pas daupauque awaille (mè outre ileque awaille). - They don't have bread (but the others do).
- Ile daupauque pas awaille (mè fitanque). - They don't have bread (but apples).
Vocabulary
Origins
Words for moral concepts, plants and animals are commonly derived from Akes Mersanint, whereas words origining in the sciences or describing modern innovations are derived from French.
English | Chicoutim | Akes Mersanint | French |
airport | èrpourte | tinnameha | aéroport |
ancestor | niné | ninna | ancêtre |
car | watoure | karu | voiture |
cheese | sètte | saita | frommage |
father | woui | uya | père |
fig | iwante | ipanta | figue |
mother | kèle | kaila | mère |
sea lion | tiyé | tiye | phoque |
republic | repoulik | hutu | republique |
Useful Words & Phrases
English | Chicoutim |
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hello | tou osse bon |
goodbye | tou alosse bon |
please | sile touque plaraille |
thank you | me touque marsaille |
sorry | me désoul aille |
My name is "..." | Ile meque "..." aplaille. |
Do you speak Chicoutim? | Cicoutimque palaille? |
French/Qi/Baranxeï/German/Spanish/Alvésin/Dutch/English/Poirih | Fransa/Ki/Barankail/Alman/Espanou/Alwésin/Olandai/Anglai/Pwaric |
I am from Cheboné, in Chicoutimi. | Me Cebonén, Cikoutimidan, reliraille. |
yes | wi / me konkordan aille |
no | nou / me dikordan aille |
one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten | un, deu, twa, katte, sinke, sise, sette, witte, neufe, disse |
eleven, twelve, thirteen... | disse-un, disse-deu, disse-twa... |
twenty, thirty, (...), sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred | deudisse, twadisse, (...) sisedisse, settedisse, wittedisse, neufediss, sante |
I am twenty-one years old. | Me deudisse-un anque awaille. |
What time is it? | Kwa solè aille? |
It's five thirty AM/PM. | Solè sinke twadisse / disse-sette twadisse aille. |
Where's the next public bathroom? | Kwa plasse procèn lawabo aille? |
police station/fire station/hospital/doctor/super market/church | stasso polisen/stasso pombien/opida/doteur/soupre marcé/élise |
IDU Country Names
English | Baranxeï Counry Name | Baranxeï Adjective |
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Antrium | Antrioum | antrioumic |
Baranxtu | Baranktou | baranxtouic |
Ceorana | Séorane | séoranic |
Cikoutimi | Cikoutimi | cikoutimic |
Domnonia | Domnonie | domnonic |
Fonzoland | Fonzolande | fonzolandic |
Gnejs | Gnèsse | gnèsic |
Groot Gouda | Grand Gouda | goudaïc |
Grosseschnauzer | Grand Cnouzère | cnouzèric |
Jonquiere-Tadoussac | Jonkère-Tadoussak | jontadic |
Keeslandia | Kezlandie | kezlandic |
Malabra | Malabre | malabric |
Mikitivity | Mikitiwité | mikitiwitic |
Otea | Otéé | otéïc |
Sober Thought | Sot-Sobr | sobric |
South Antrium | Antrioum de Soude | antrioumic soude |
Xtraordinary Gentlemen | Jentlemen Ekstrordinère | ekstrordinèric |
International Democratic Union | Ounio Demokratike Internassonale | odic |
Example Sentences
- Chicoutim: Woui men watoure ilenque mese pretégoure pas.
- English: My father did not lend me his car.
- Qi: Fau uyasi karuka sisa likagura.
- French: Mon père ne me prêta pas sa voiture.
- Chicoutim: Woukèilen nouwo odinatourque acetégoure.
- English: Their parents bought a new computer.
- Qi: Ukaipin ohokamputeuka siminagura.
- French: Leurs parents achetèrent un nouvel ordinateur.
Languages of Baranxtu | ||
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Official Languages: | ||
Asuaneï | Baranxeï | Baranxtuan Sign Language | English | French | Nidajii | ||
Other Languages: | ||
Baranxtuan French | Chicoutim | Masenar | Phipul | Qi |