Connective particles and temporal cohesion in Plains Cree narrative

Abstract

Although Cree particles have been neglected in most modern studies of the language, recent work by Freda Ahenakew (Cree Language Structures: A Cree Approach, 1987) suggests that many complications presented by words of this class remain to be explored. The present study defines a category of connectives particles whose purpose is to label various kinds of linkage or cohesion within nrrative. Using Leonard Bloomfield's Sacred Stories of the Sweet Grass Cree as a basis, it examines the use of connective particles which provide temporal cohesion within the texts.