Syllabics
There is another type of writing for Dene languages.
It is called "syllabics" because each symbol
represents a syllable, like: ba, de, ki, jo, instead
of one sound like: a, t, k, o. Many Dene elders can
read, and some can write, in this old syllabic writing
system.
This writing was used mainly by the Churches in books
of hymns and prayers. It was first devised by a Wesleyan
minister, James Evans, in Northern Manitoba in the mid-1800's
for Cree and Ojibway. It was easy to teach so it started
to spread, and was eventually used for Dene languages
- Chipewyan, Dogrib, North Slavey and South Slavey. As
far as I know, it was never used for Gwich'in. It is
also used for Inuktitut, the Inuit language, in what
is now Nunavut.
In
this newspaper, from time to time you will see "syllabics".
These pieces have probably been written by a Dene elder.
She or he is writing in Slavey, but using a different
type of symbols. At this point in time, only some of
the elders know this writing system, but a number of
younger people are now learning it, so that it will not
be forgotten.
These
syllabics are not as good as the Roman writing system
for representing Dene languages though, because
some sounds are not even written and some symbols have
two or three different pronunciations.
So, you see, there are actually more people who know
how to read and write their Dene language than we may
think. When we say that not many people are literate
in Dene languages, we have to think about what the elders
know. If we say that elders cannot read and write in
their language, an important part of history is forgotten.
Syllabic
Writing ![English Version](images/Syllabics_r1_c1.jpg)
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