Ojibwe (Ojibwa, Ojibway), also known as Chippewa or Otchipwe, is a North American indigenous language of the Algonquian languages family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems. There is no single dialect that is considered the most prestigious or most prominent, and no standard writing system that covers all dialects. The relative autonomy of the regional dialects of Ojibwe is associated with an absence of linguistic or political unity among Ojibwe-speaking groups.