The Bungee dialect of the Red River Settlement

Abstract

Bungee is the dialect of English which was commonly heard at Red River in the nineteenth century and is still used by a small group of elderly speakers in the Lower Red River Settlement. This study attempts to identify the various features of Bungee which are still heard today, and also those found reflected in the documentary sources. The material is presented in the light of the several languages which have left their mark on Bungee. The fluctuation in the use of s and s, for instance, which has traditionally been attributed simply to the influence of Cree, is reinforced by similar features in Scots and Orkney English and Gaelic which, along with Saulteaux, Michif and French, were part of the confluence of peoples and languages at Red River.