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Glite Dictionary
Algonkian language

Algonkian language

9.9
A Native American language spoken by people in parts of North America
  • noun
  • /ælˈɡɒŋkiən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
translation icon : lengua algonquina
  • Few people today are fluent speakers of the Algonkian language.

Examples

  • Linguists have studied the grammar of the Algonkian language for many years.

  • The museum exhibit features recordings of the Algonkian language being spoken.

  • The Algonkian language has many dialects.

  • Many Native American tribes speak Algonkian languages.

  • Few people today are fluent speakers of the Algonkian language.

  • Linguists have studied the grammar of the Algonkian language for many years.

  • The museum exhibit features recordings of the Algonkian language being spoken.

Synonyms

Algonkian
vsAlgonkian language
9.9

A language spoken by native people in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada

refers to the same speech but emphasises family classification across North America
Algonkin
vsAlgonkian language
9.9

A language of a Native people living along the Ottawa River in Ontario and Quebec

is the broader family term used across North America rather than one local area
Algonkin language
vsAlgonkian language
9.9

A language spoken by the Algonkin people in parts of Canada and the northeastern United States

refers to the language spoken by the original native community not that different group

Surface Forms

Algonkian language singular
Algonkian languages plural

Morphology

Algonkian + language

The phrase is a straightforward composition of the ethnonym 'Algonkian' and the noun 'language', so its meaning—the language spoken by the Algonkian people—is directly derivable from the parts. This '[group name] + language' pattern is common cross-linguistically and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Algonkian language may come from the name given to a group of related tribes, and one popular story says that tribal name meant 'our relatives'. So the name came to mean the language spoken by those related tribes.