Pejorative vs. Diminutive

[Arok Wolvengrey]

Waachiyaa, Bill.

The pejorative in Naskapi!  Would you happen to know if Innu has it as well?  

Peter Bakker has just drawn my attention to a mention of a pejorative in Woods Cree from Howse (1844), but unfortunately Howse does not give any specific examples, and the pejorative endings he does give could simply be forms of the diminutive which happened to take a more pejorative meaning in the examples he had in mind.  There's no distinct pejorative in Woods Cree where and as it is spoken today. 

The diminutive can indicate smallness, endearment, and the pejorative depending on context in Cree, and having all meanings marked with a single diminutive suffix is what I had expected from the whole Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi continuum.  Very interesting.

Cheers,
Arok