Dogrib

The Dogrib language, also called Tłįchhǫ Got’ine, is a Dene language spoken in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is one of the official languages of the Northwest Territories, along with English and French. According to the 2016 Census, 1,370 people in the Northwest Territories reported speaking Dogrib. Dogrib is a member of the Athabaskan language family. It is most closely related to the languages of the Slavey, Bearlake, and Beaver peoples. The Dogrib language has two dialects: North Dogrib and South Dogrib. Dogrib is an oral language. There is no standard written form of Dogrib, although the Dogrib Literacy Program has developed a Dogrib alphabet and orthography. Dogrib is a polysynthetic language, meaning that words can be very long and complex. Dogrib words are often made up of several smaller parts, each of which has a specific meaning. For example, the Dogrib word for “caribou” is t’eedeghààzhoghàà, which is made up of the following parts: t’eed-: caribou -e-: plural marker -ghàà-: large animal -z-: realis mood marker -ho-: middle voice marker -ghàà: hunt Dogrib has a complex system of verb tenses and aspects. Verbs can be inflected to indicate when an event happened, whether it is ongoing, and whether it is habitual. For example, the Dogrib verb for “to walk” can be inflected as follows: I am walking: nààzhoo I was walking: nàzhoo I will walk: nààzhoo I have walked: nàzhoo I had walked: nàzhoo I have been walking: nààzhoo I had been walking: nàzhoo I will have walked: nàzhoo I will have been walking: nààzhoo Dogrib also has a complex system of noun classes. Nouns are inflected to indicate whether they are animate or inanimate, and whether they are human or non-human. For example, the Dogrib word for “caribou” is inflected as follows: Animate singular: t’eede Inanimate singular: t’eed Animate plural: t’eedeghàà Inanimate plural: t’eedaghàà Human singular: t’eedezhàà Non-human singular: t’eedaghàà Human plural: t’eedezhààghàà Non-human plural: t’eedaghààghàà Dogrib also has a system of grammatical gender. Nouns are inflected to indicate whether they are masculine, feminine, or neuter. For example, the Dogrib word for “caribou” is inflected as follows: Masculine singular: t’eede Feminine singular: t’eedi Neuter singular: t’eed Masculine plural: t’eedeghàà Feminine plural: t’eedighàà Neuter plural: t’eedaghàà Dogrib has a complex system of postpositions. Postpositions are words that indicate the relationships between objects and other objects or between objects and events. For example, the Dogrib word for “in front of” is nàà, which is inflected as follows: In front of me: nààzh In front of you (singular): nàzh In front of him: nàà In front of her: nài In front of it: nà In front of us: nààgh In front of you (plural): nàagh In front of them: nààghàà Dogrib also has a system of clitics. Clitics are words that are attached to other words. They are usually pronounced with a reduced vowel. For example, the Dogrib word for “he” is ghàà, which is inflected as follows: With a verb: ghààzhoo With a noun: ghààt’eed With an adjective: ghààde Dogrib has a complex system of verbal agreement. Verbs are inflected to agree with their subjects in number, person, and gender. For example, the Dogrib verb for “to walk” is inflected as follows: I am walking: nààzhoo You are walking: nàzhoo He is walking: nàà She is walking: nài It is walking: nà We are walking: nààgh You are walking: nàagh They are walking: nààghàà Dogrib has a complex system of noun incorporation. Nouns can be incorporated into verbs to create new meanings. For example, the Dogrib verb for “to hunt caribou” is t’eedeghàà, which is made up of the following parts: t’eed-: caribou -e-: plural marker -ghàà-: large animal -z-: realis mood marker -ho-: middle voice marker -ghàà: hunt The Dogrib language is a complex and fascinating language. It is a unique and important part of the heritage of the Northwest Territories.