spoken in north central Manitoba west across Saskatchewan and central Alberta to the foot of the Rocky Mountains (Canada)
Typological Information
• 2 genders
• obviative system
Reduplication Form-Function
• (C)a(y)- (light) reduplication: continuous, progressive aspect (pluralization)
• (C)āh- (heavy) reduplication: intensive (intensification), repetitive (pluralization), distributive (pluralization)
(light and heavy reduplication may also be combined; see Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 371-373)
Relationship Form-Function
various forms - various functions
Reduplication System
in Plains Cree there are several types of reduplication, the process being especially common in but by no means restricted to verbs (cf. Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 369)
Productivity
next to fully productive light (continuous, progressive) and heavy (intensity, repetition, distribution) syllable reduplication (see Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 370-376) there are also frozen and semi-productive reduplication patterns in Plains Cree (cf. Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 370, 373)
Stylistic Information
in general, reduplication in Plains Cree is extremely common but almost never obligatory and thus, as an optional device, plays a major role in Cree style (cf. Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 376-377); more specifically, the combination of light (continuous, progressive) and heavy (intensity, repetition, distribution) syllable reduplication in Plains Cree (see Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 370-376) is fully productive in ordinary, every-day Cree but may not be the favourite form of the literary style (cf. Ahenakew & Wolfart 1983: 373)
Terminology