Documentation:RelLex/Penobscot Dictionary
Penobscot Dictionary
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Language Name
Eastern Abenaki.
Alternate Language Names
Abnaki, Alənαpαtəwéwαkan, Penobscot, Wôbanakiak.
Region
Maine, United States.
Who
Paulina MacDougall and Connor Quinn.
Others Involved
Frank T. Siebert, Jr (Linguist); Timothy Powell, Recovering Our Voices Project (Advisory Committee); Many unnamed community members; National Endowment for the Humanities (Funding).
Publishing Information
This dictionary displays no information about launch dates. Its most recent update appears to be from 2015.
How People are Cited
This dictionary does not cite any authors or contributors.
How Information is Cited
This dictionary does not cite the source of any of its information.
Where is Information Coming from
This dictionary does not indicate where information is coming from or what sources were used.
Tools and Framework used
This dictionary is available as a multimedia website, with audio files and a search function. Based on the press release and other information from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a print dictionary was in preparation. As of mid-2025, no print dictionary appears to have been published.
Access
This dictionary is open access online. If there is a print version of this dictionary, it is not accessible.
Included Languages and Directionality
Penobscot to English.
Dialects Included
No dialect is specified for this dictionary.
Type of Dictionary
This is an online, multimedia dictionary that uses hyperlinks, audio, and a bidirectional search function. A bidirectional, bilingual print dictionary may be in progress.
How are Entries Organised
Entries in this dictionary can be searched in both English and Penobscot, or browsed alphabetically by Penobscot headword. Each entry contains the part of speech, the English translation, one to two audio files, and example sentences for verbs. When browsing, there is also a section of root words, entitled root, where learners can browse root words alphabetically by Penobscot.
Other Features
| Feature | Included | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to use and understand | ❌ | |
| Audio | ✅ | Included in all entries |
| Images | ❌ | |
| Example phrases | ✅ | Included in some entries |
| Speakers marked | ❌ | |
| Dialects marked | ❌ |
Other Notes
Very little information is given about the dictionary on the website, but there is a press release from the University of Maine that provides more context. The creation of the online dictionary was part of a larger project including several linguists and the Penobscot Nation to create a full print dictionary. No records of a print version of this dictionary exist as of mid-2025, if one was created. It may be an unpublished dictionary held by the Penobscot Nation, or it may not have been printed.
External Links
View the online dictionary here: https://penobscot-dictionary.appspot.com/entry/
Read the press release from the University of Maine: https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2013/07/12/in-their-words/
View the The Penobscot Dictionary Project website here on the University of Maine Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/penobscotdictionaryproject/
For more information about the Penobscot language (Eastern Abenaki), as well as future projects, read or listen to this article from the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/19/how-did-a-self-taught-linguist-come-to-own-an-indigenous-language