Malecite language
- noun
- Few fluent speakers of the Malecite language remain today, making its preservation urgent.
Examples
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The Malecite language shares similarities with other Algonquian languages in the region.
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She is conducting research on the grammar of the Malecite language.
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The Malecite language is rich in history.
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Many children are learning the Malecite language today.
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Few fluent speakers of the Malecite language remain today, making its preservation urgent.
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She is conducting research on the grammar of the Malecite language.
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The Malecite language shares similarities with other Algonquian languages in the region.
Synonyms
A Native American language spoken in northeastern Maine and New Brunswick
An Algonquian language that the Malecite and Passamaquoddy people speak in northeastern North America
A native language spoken by the Malecite and Passamaquoddy people in eastern Canada and northern New England
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: it denotes the language associated with the Malecite (an ethnonym) and this meaning follows directly from combining 'Malecite' (the name of the people/language) with 'language' (a named system of speech). This head-modifier pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Malecite language comes from the people called the Malecite, who call themselves Wolastoqiyik and whose name means 'people of the beautiful river'. So Malecite language means the language of those river people.