wégonen
The Ojibwe word for 'what' is wégonen.
wégonen is an interrogative pronoun.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Did you know?
- Because Ojibwe is a polysynthetic language, the word for 'what' is often just a small part of a much larger, single word that contains the verb, the subject, and the object. A single word can essentially mean 'what are you doing to him'.
- In many Ojibwe dialects, the way you ask 'what' depends entirely on whether you are asking about a person or an object. Using the wrong form can make you sound like you are asking 'what' about a human being, which can be seen as quite rude.
- In certain contexts, asking 'what' is not just a request for information, but a way to invite the other person to expand on a topic, acting more like 'tell me more' than a simple interrogation.
Example conversation
Bemizii and Oma are looking at a mysterious object.
- BemiziiWégonen ayaa?What is here?
- OmaAwenen gego.I don't know.
- BemiziiWégonen gizaagi?What do you like about it?
- OmaGiga-wiidookaan iwiin.You will tell me later.
