Thank you for the fascinating question.
First of all, let me tell you the definition of "minimal pair" that I
worked from for this answer. I used the Jack C. Richards and Richard
Schmidt's "Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics" 3rd.
ed., published by Longman in 2002. According to this source, minimal
pair means: "two words in a language which differ from each other by
only one distinctive sound (one phoneme) and which also differ in
meaning. For example, the English words 'bear' and 'pear' are a
minimimal pair."
I found some information on the Abenaki language on Cowasuck Band of
the Pennacook-Abenaki people website:
http://www.cowasuck.org/language/language.htm
Second, I used the "Western Abenaki Dictionary," written by Dr. Gordon
M. Day in 1994 to identify minimal pairs. This book, which comes in
two volumes, is available from all major booksellers online.
According to Dr. Day, Western Abenaki reside at Odanak, Quebec and the
Missisquoi Bay region of Lake Champlain, and have been known to
English writers as the Saint Francis Indians.
Minimal pairs and their meanings (part of speech in parentheses):
abazi (inanimate noun): a piece of wood, a stick
abozi (animate intransitive verb): to roast something in ashes
abon (animate noun): a bed
abôn (animate noun): bread, loaf of bread, probably ash cake
originally, later also frypan bread or galettes; also shad because it
is round
abi (animate intransitive verb): to sit, repose, be in a place or state
aci (particle): also, too
abagigen (inanimate intransitive verb): it is flat
adagigen (inanimate intransitive verb): it is dishonest
abagigid (animate intransitive verb): flat animate one
adagigid (animate intransitive verb): the dishonest one, he is dishonest
adali (particle): there where something is (now) or at a single time; the most
adeli (particle): barring, blocking off, in front of
aligek (inanimate intransitive verb): how it is, the way it is
aligen (inanimate intransitive verb): that it grows; how it grows
aloka (animate intransitive verb): to work
alosa (animate intransitive verb): to go, especially on foot
alebata (inanimate intransitive verb): dead water
olebata (inanimate intransitive verb): it is good water; i.e. smooth, no current
ali (particle): how, like, the way that . . ., that, as, because, thus
oli (particle): good
Some more for good measure, and because I was interested:
aligek (inanimate intransitive verb): how it is, the way it is
oligek (inanimate intransitive verb): when it is good, if it is good
olôka (inanimate intransitive verb): a nice hill
olôma (inanimate intransitive verb): he is right, he is correct
ca! (interjection): now! now then!
na (pronoun): that one, the animate one who
ta (particle): and
wa (pronoun): this animate one
jannipo (animate intransitive noun): he stops eating
jannizo (animate intransitive noun): he stops, he pauses
NOTE: "o" is pronounced as in "poke" while ô is pronounced like in the
French "pont" or sometimes like in the English "bunt"
I hope you're satisfied with this response. Let me know if you need
any clarifications. If you have any further questions about the
Abenaki language that you think could be answered using a dictionary,
please post them.
regards,
xsgnik |
