It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario.

Like many Native American languages, it is strongly verb-based, with most meaning being incorporated into verbs instead of using separate words for prepositions, tense, etc.

Culturally, Omàmìwininì (Algonquin) and the Michi Saagiig (Mississaugas) were not part of the Ojibwe–Odawa–Potawatomi alliance known as the Council of Three Fires.

The Omàmìwininìwak (Algonquins) maintained stronger cultural ties with the Abenaki, Atikamekw and Cree.

Among sister Algonquian languages are Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Cree, Fox, Menominee, Potawatomi, and Shawnee.

In Algonquin, vowels automatically become nasal before nd, ndj, ng, nh, nhi, nj or nz.