Dictionary of the Ojibway Language (Borealis Books) (Paperback)

~ Frederic Baraga (Author)
Key Phrases: nin mina, numbers over nineteen, ashi nij, Grand Medicine, Lake Superior, Fond du Lac (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This dictionary, compiled nearly 150 years ago, remains the most comprehensive and accurate lexicon available of the Ojibway language. Baraga (1797-1868), a priest from Slovenia, was sent in 1833 as a missionary among the Ojibway living in the Lake Superior region. The multilingual Baraga quickly learned the Ojibway language and over many years worked within the community to produce the phonetic spellings on which modern orthography is based. In 1853 the first edition of A Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language Explained in English was published. An enlarged edition of the dictionary followed in 1878 and is the version now reprinted.

Language Notes

Text: English

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Product Details

• Paperback: 442 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (November 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873512812
• ISBN-13: 978-0873512817
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #458,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars historical value, June 22, 2003

By	"linguist-guy" (boston) - See all my reviews

when I look closely it becomes pretty obvious that long vowels are marked sporadically, and I doubt its a matter of replacing every circumflex with a double letter, some long ones are not marked at all; I also suppose the language could have changed (that's what people say about Petitiot, a different language, but it's the same); this book has certain historical value, regarding the language, linguistics, but I wouldn't use it to learn the language, it would just give me a terrible accent, go for Nyholm and Nichols

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive (2 aught 7), April 1, 2005

By	A Pohick (near Crystal City) - See all my reviews

In addition to words for basic conversational speech, Father Baraga's dictionary contains translations of household items, tools, implements and transactions as various as coffee, lamp, augur, pulley, bill of divorce, lover and trading license. Although Baraga authored his work prior to the American Civil War, his method of spelling the Ojibwe words utilizes familiar letters and accent markings which a standard keyboard reproduces; however, with an acceptably moderate amount of effort, one can make the slight alterations to Baraga's spelling in order to accommodate usage of the double-vowel system that one sees in modern literature or in personal use on the internet. Within a new forward to the dictionary, Professor John D. Nichols highlights the differences between the two orthographies. The greatest strength of this dictionary lies within the extent and diversity of its vocabulary.

For building phrases with these words, a search on the web for Rick Gresczyk (Minnesota), Kenny Pheasant (Manitoulin and Michigan) and Weshki-ayaad (Animaakiing) leads to resources to get started using Nishnaabemwin.

2007: Dogged ears support the review--vocabulary-wise, still the best bang for the buck. R. Rhodes, ISBN 3110137496 and 978-3110102031 try to give SnowShoe's work a run for its money (Rhodes: P-Town, Manitoulin Dialect, 70's 80-ish).