Past Event

The bilingual Nishnaabemwin Online Dictionary: Sharing the Nishnaabe thought world with Second Language learners

Dr. Mary Ann Corbiere
(University of Sudbury)

This talk will first give some background information on the bilingual
Nishnaabemwin-English dictionary project now being put online and outline the
community consultation process. It will then describe the various kinds
of problems encountered in trying to produce a resource that strives to
help those who are learning Nishnaabemwin (also known as Eastern Ojibwe
or Odawa) as a second language.

About the Presenter

Dr. Mary Ann Corbiere attended school where she grew up, in Wikwemikong
on Manitoulin Island until Grade 8. At that time, Nishnaabemwin was the
mother tongue of (almost) everyone in her community. After graduating
from York University, she returned home so she could be among
eNshinaabemjik (those who speak in the Nishnaabe way) again full-time.
She began teaching her language at the University of Sudbury in 1989,
obtained a doctorate in 2007, then resumed developing resources for
adult learners, including compiling the Nishnaabemwin dictionary with
Rand Valentine.