Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) Language

The Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) Language is a tribally centered reference grammar of Aaniiih. A member of the Algonquian language family, Aaniiih is most closely related to the Arapaho language. Previously spoken in areas of central and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan and northern Montana, the language is now spoken on the Fort Belknap Reservation in north central Montana. Andrew Cowell and Terry Brockie worked with tribal members to retranscribe historical and archival documentation of the language in order to revitalize it. This grammar provides a comprehensive description of the language throughout all its stages, focusing on the phonology and morphology of new word formation; on levels of politeness in the language and strategies for indirectness; and on salient cultural topics such as place-names, personal names, prayer, and traditional narrative, as well as greetings, departures, and a rich variety of exclamations and interjections. The grammar describes both classical (pre-reservation) and modern Aaniiih, allowing contemporary revivers of the language to fully understand both and to choose which to focus on for teaching and learning.The Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) Language is an essential guide to assisting with the Gros Ventre nation’s efforts to teach and revitalize its language in the twenty-first century.  

“Andrew Cowell’s comprehensive grammar is an essential roadmap to Aaniiih. It dissects the complexities of the language and lays out discernible patterns in a simple and understandable way. In many ways the grammar acts like a Rosetta Stone, decoding a worldview that those who have gone on left embedded within the language. Terry Brockie and many of his contemporaries were among the last to recognize the need to dig in and spend time with the few remaining elders who spoke Aaniiih. Their work, coupled with that of Andrew Cowell, has created a solid foundation for these young folks to springboard from and make Aaniiih theirs.”—Randall Collin Werk Sr., Aaniiih Mountain District representative, Fort Belknap Indian Community Council, “Invaluable both for the Aaniiih community seeking to revitalize the language and for Algonquianist linguists eager to understand the role of Aaniiih in comparative and historical linguistic work. This book is an inspiring example of a ‘revitalization grammar.’ Cowell’s volume demonstrates how much can be discovered in the corpus of earlier documentation and presents the material in such a way that current community members can make use of the detailed descriptions.”—Amy Dahlstrom, author of Plains Cree Morphosyntax, “Andrew Cowell’s comprehensive grammar is an essential roadmap to Aaniiih. It dissects the complexities of the language and lays out discernible patterns in a simple and understandable way. In many ways the grammar acts like a Rosetta Stone, decoding a worldview that those who have gone on left embedded within the language. Terry Brockie and many of his contemporaries were among the last to recognize the need to dig in and spend time with the few remaining elders who spoke Aaniiih. Their work, coupled with that of Andrew Cowell, has created a solid foundation for these young folks to springboard from and make Aaniiih theirs.”—Randall Collin Werk Sr., Aaniiih Mountain District representative, Fort Belknap Indian Community Council, “Invaluable both for the Aaniiih community seeking to revitalize the language and for Algonquianist linguists eager to understand the role of Aaniiih in comparative and historical linguistic work. This book is an inspiring example of a ‘revitalization grammar.’ Cowell’s volume demonstrates how much can be discovered in the corpus of earlier documentation and presents the material in such a way that current community members can make use of the detailed descriptions.”—Amy Dahlstrom, author of Plains Cree Morphosyntax

Andrew Cowell is a professor of linguistics and director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies at the University of Colorado. He is the author of Naming the World: Language and Power among the Northern Arapaho, coeditor of Aaniiih/Gros Ventre Stories, and coauthor of The Arapaho Language, among other books. Terry Brockie is a member of the Gros Ventre tribe and has served as teacher, school superintendent, and ceremonial leader. He is a coeditor of Aaniiih/Gros Ventre Stories.