East Cree

Facts

  • Language: East Cree
  • Alternate names: Cree, East Cree, Northern East Cree, Northern James Bay Cree, Northern Eastern James Bay Cree, Montagnais-Naskapi,
  • Language code: crl
  • Language family: Algic, Algonquian, Cree-Montagnais (SIL classification)
  • Number of speakers: 12,000
  • Vulnerability: Vulnerable
  • Script: Latin script. Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics script, uses eastern finals, dot first.

More information:

    Cree-Montagnais is a chain of Algonquian languages extending across Canada from the Rockies to the coast of Labrador. There is some degree of mutual intelligibility across the entire chain of languages. East Cree is the Montagnais-Naskapi dialect spoken in northwestern Quebec, along the east coast of James and Hudson Bay and inland. There is a distinction between northern and southern subdialects, the latter with coastal and inland varieties. The northern dialect is spoken in Whapamagostui (Great Whale River), Chisasibi (Fort George), and Wemindji (Paint Hills); southern dialects are spoken in Nemaska (Nemiscau), Waskaganish (Rupert House), Eastmain, Waswanipi, Ouje-bougamau and Mistissini. (Golla et al. 2008.)Ethnologue distinguishes Northern East Cree [crl] from Southern East Cree [crj], where others consider these dialects of East Cree.