Notes on Updated Text
This section comes from a reader1 who knows considerably more Ojibwe than the transcriber (who knows none at all):
Orthography
| Forms in "Chipeway Spellings" |
Equivalent in Fiero orthography |
|---|---|
| ah | a, aa, aanh |
| au, aw | aa |
| aih | e, enh |
| a, ai, -ay | e |
| e, eh | i, ii |
| ee, eeh | ii, iinh |
| i | i, ii, ay |
| oo | o, oo |
| ooh | o, oo, oonh |
| ou | — |
| o | a, aa |
| u | a, w |
| w-, -wh | w |
| y | y, ay |
| ch, j | j, ch |
| ck | k |
| k, g, gk | g, k |
| m, -hm | m |
| n | n |
| -nce | -ns |
| p, b, -be | b, p |
| qu | gw, kw |
| s, z, -se | s, z |
| sh, zh, -zhe | zh, sh |
| sk, sch | sk, shk |
| sp | shp |
| squ | skw, shkw |
| st | sht |
| t, d, -dt, -te, -de, td- | d, t |
Author of Spelling book:
I am convinced that 'Spelling' is by Peter Jones, as he was commissioned to put together a spelling book on June 2, 1828, and presented the manuscript to a printer in York on June 19, 1828, for the Methodist Indian Missionary School he ran, which Conference Missionary Society was a Methodist society. Also, in his book Life and journals of Kah-ke-wa-quo-na-by, in the journal entry for the 19th, it says, "Arrived at York in the afternoon, and commenced getting a small Indian spelling book, which I had written, printed at Mr. McKenzie's office." and considering "Spelling" was only 12 printed pages—3 sheets of paper—that, I think, does qualify as "a small Indian spelling book."
Syncope:
Several words are presented in a partial syncope form. For example, gagiinawishkiwin to mean a fib, a lie or a falsehood, in the partial syncope form is ggiinawishkiwin, and the full syncope form is ggiinwishkwin. Summerfield presents this word as Kenahweskewin, n. falsehood, which seems to match the partial syncope form of the word. However, if this partial syncope is noted, so should the dozen or so other words shown in partial syncope.