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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Americas > Canada > Montagnais

Montagnais

A language of Canada

ISO 639-3: moe

Population  8,480 (1987). Ethnic population: 10,000.
Region  Quebec and Labrador, Lake St. John east along Saguenay Valley to north shore St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence east to St. Augustin, north to height of land at Schefferville and inland Labrador (Goose Bay, Lake Melville). 11 communities. Western Montagnais in 4 communities: Mashteuiatsh (near Roberval, Quebec), Betsiamites, Uashat-Maliotenam (near Sept-Iles, Quebec), Matimekosh (near Schefferville, Quebec). Eastern Montagnais in Mingan, Natashquan, La Romaine, Pakuashipi (St Augustine, Quebec, sometimes called Pakuashipu), Sheshatshiu (North-West River, Labrador).
Language map  Canada
Alternate names   Innu, Innu Aimun
Dialects  Western Montagnais, Eastern Montagnais. Palatalized l-dialect and palatalized n-dialect within Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi language complex or dialect subgroup. There are possibly 3 dialects based on the shifting of Proto-Algonquian *l within Western Montagnais to ‘n’ 2 Western Montagnais communities (Mashteuiatsh, Betsiamites) use ‘l’ as the reflex of Proto-Algonquian *l, and the other Western Montagnais (Uashat-Maliotenam, Matimekosh) use ‘n’. Uashat-Maliotenam and Matimekosh could be classified as Central Montagnais. All Eastern Montagnais speakers use ‘n’.
Classification  Algic, Algonquian, Central, Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi
Language use  Vigorous except 2 communities. Rapid shift occurring in communities close to national language cities. Strong use in lower north shore communities and Schefferville. Recent language of instruction in Betsiamites, and taught as a subject in other classes. Taught as L2 in 2 communities. All ages. Mashteuiatsh nearly all French-speaking. Many fluent in English (Sheshatshiu in Labrador) or French (communities in Quebec).
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: 5%. Literacy rate in L2: 50%–75% in French or English. Taught in primary schools. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1990.
Writing system  Latin script.
Comments  Also called ‘Innu’ in northeast Quebec and Labrador. Culture mainly based on family hunting grounds visited seasonally, including large variety of animals and fish, extensive salt-water fishing. Traditionally hunters; trappers; fishermen.