Language Materials

For those interested in teaching or learning one of the Dene languages, the open web offers a number of print and audio resources.  Some resources are useful for beginners and others for those seeking more detailed descriptions of the languages. Resources provided below are organized into three categories: Teaching and Learning Materials, Linguistic Descriptions, and Dene Translations of Christian Texts.

Teaching and Learning Materials

• The Alberta Online Encyclopedia is a web portal of born-digital resources archived at over 80 websites. The portal was developed by the Heritage Community Foundation and includes access to the Alberta Geographical Place Names Database Search as well as the Bibliography for a Native Mapping Project, among other resources 
• The First Voices: Dene Community Portal provides access to the Dene Language Phrase Book.
• The Northern Saskatchewan Heritage Site is owned by the Keewatin Career Development Corporation in LaRonge, Saskatchewan. Although it is no longer maintained, it includes some basic information on Dene as well as sound files and a link tothe Dene section on MBC Radio, which airs at 3 p.m. CST every weekday.
• Northwest Territories Literacy Council makes numerous Aboriginal Language Resources available for download. 
• South Slavey Divisional Educational Council has made two dictionaries available. Users may download the pdf Chipewyan Dictionary and view the South Slavey Topical Dictionary online.
• Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Center (SICC) has numerous resources, including a Dene Language page with links to Common Terms and Phrases, a Grammar Guide, and a description of the Sound System & Alphabet. SICC also hosts numerous other resources which can be accessed through the SICC Sitemap and the SICC Archive.
• Leslie Saxon hosts at the University of Victoria an online Multimedia Dictionary of Dogrib that includes many sound files.
• The Tlicho site makes two dictionaries for Dogrib available online. Users may download as pdf files the Tlicho Dictionary and a Tlicho Children’s Dictionary.

Linguistic Descriptions

These texts are available at one or more of the following sites: Google Play (which requires signing up for a free google account); Early Canadiana Online (online viewing only); Open Library (online viewing and downloading in a variety of formats); and the Internet Archive (online viewing and downloading in a variety of formats). 

Eung-Do Cook has two resources available on the open web:

• A set of index cards comprising an English-Chipewyan Dictionary made available at the University of Calgary. It features animal names, tools, clothing, body parts, people, plants, weather, food, colors, and seasons.
• Sarcee Grammar, published in 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia by University of British Columbia Press. 

Pliny Earle Goddard wrote a grammatical analysis of Chipewyan and compiled texts for Chipewyan and for Sarsi in the early 1900s; these are now available on the open web. 

• Analysis of Cold Lake Dialect, Chipewyan was originally published in 1912 in the Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History X(II).
• Chipewyan Texts, also published in 1912, appeared in the Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History X(I).  It is also available for online viewing  through Google Play. 
• Sarsi Texts was published in 1915 in American Archaeology and Ethnology 11(3). 

Laurent LeGoff produced a dictionary and a grammar for the Mountain variety of Dene. Both of these are written in French. 

• Dictionnaire Français–Montagnais: précédé d’une explication de l’alphabet et d’un tableau des principales raciness was published in 1976 in Paris by the Société Saint-Augustin, Desclée, de Brouwer & Cie.  
• Grammaire de la Langue Montagnaise was published in 1889 in Montreal but the publisher is unknown.  It is also available for online viewing through Google Play. 

Fang Kuei Li and Ronald Scollon produced a compilation of texts for Chipewyan, entitled Chipewyan Texts, which was published in 1976 in Taipei by Academia Sinica Special Publications.

A. G. Morice produced The new methodical, easy and complete Dene syllabary in 1890. This single-page document is accompanied by a two-page discussion of the advantages of using a syllabary. 

Summerfield, John (alias Sahgahjewagahbahweh) wrote a 37-page Sketch of grammar of the Chippeway language: to which is added a vocabulary of some of the most common words. It was published in 1834 in Cazenovia, NY by F. Fairchild. 

Translations of Christian Texts into Dene Languages

These translations are available at one or more of the following sites: Google Play (which requires signing up for a free google account); Early Canadiana Online (online viewing only); Open Library (online viewing and downloading in a variety of formats); and the Internet Archive (online viewing and downloading in a variety of formats). 

• Kirby, William West. 1878. The gospels of the four evangelists: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Translated into the language of the Chipewyan Indians of North-West America. London: British and Foreign Bible Society. 
• Kirby, William West. 1881. The New Testament, Translated into the Chipewyan Language. London: British and Foreign Bible Society. It is also available through Google Play. 
• Kirby, William West. 1870. A manual of devotion and instruction for the Slave Indians of McKenzie river [in their language]. This document is published in syllabics. The publisher and place of publication are unknown. 
• Kirby, William West [adapted for use by the Slavi Indians by W.C. Bompas]. 1882. Portions of the Book of common prayer, hymns, etc., in the Chipewyan language. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. It is also available through Google Play. 
• Kirby, William West. 1881. Hymns, prayers and instruction in the Chipewyan language. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 
• LeGoff, Laurent. 1889. Cours d'instructions en langue montagnaise. The publisher is unknown but the place of publication is Montréal. 
• Legoff, Laurent. 1889. Histoire de l'Ancient Testament racontée aux Montagnais.The publisher is unknown but the place of publication is Montréal. 
• Legoff, Laurent. 1890. Katolik deneya ʻtiye dittlisse: Livre de prières en langue montagnaise. C.O. Beauchemin & fils, Montréal. 
• Perrault, Charles Ovide. 1857 [reprint 1985]. Prières, cantiques et catéchisme en langue montagnaise ou chipeweyan. Montreal: Imprimerie de Louis Perrault. 

2018-08-06