A Language of Our Own: The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Métis

Peter Bakker

Oxford University Press, 1997 - Foreign Language Study - 316 pages

The Michif language -- spoken by descendants of French Canadian fur traders and Cree Indians in western Canada -- is considered an "impossible language" since it uses French for nouns and Cree for verbs, and comprises two different sets of grammatical rules. Bakker uses historical research and fieldwork data to present the first detailed analysis of this language and how it came into being.

About the author

Peter Bakker is at University of Aarhus.

Bibliographic information

• Title: A Language of Our Own: The Genesis of Michif, the Mixed Cree-French Language of the Canadian Métis; Volume 10 of Oxford Studies in Anthropologi; Issue 10 of Oxford studies in anthropological linguistics, ISSN 2399-6129
• Author: Peter Bakker
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997
• ISBN: 0195097122, 9780195097122
• Length: 316 pages
• Subjects: Foreign Language Study / Native American Languages; Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / General; Science / Life Sciences / Ecology; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies