Inuvialuktun | |
---|---|
Native to | Canada |
Region | Northwest Territories, Nunavut |
Ethnicity | 3,110 Inuvialuit |
Native speakers | 680, 22% of ethnic population (2016 census) [1] [2] |
Early forms | |
Dialects |
|
Latin script, Syllabics [3] | |
Official status | |
Official language in | Northwest Territories, [5] Nunavut [6] |
Regulated by | Inuvialuit Cultural Centre [7] and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | iu |
ISO 639-2 | iku Inuktitut |
ISO 639-3 | ikt Inuinnaqtun, Western Canadian Inuktitut |
Glottolog | west2618 Western Canadian Inuktitut |
Inu- ᐃᓄ- / nuna ᓄᓇ "person" / "land" | |
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Person | Inuvialuk |
People | Inuvialuit |
Language | Inuvialuktun; Ujjiqsuuraq |
Country | Inuvialuit Nunangit, Inuit Nunangat ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᑦ |
Inuvialuktun (part of Western Canadian Inuit/Inuktitut/Inuktut/Inuktun) comprises several Inuit language varieties spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by Canadian Inuit who call themselves Inuvialuit . [4] Some dialects and sub-dialects are also spoken in Nunavut. [3] [6]
Inuvialuktun is spoken by the Inuit of the Mackenzie River delta, Banks Island, part of Victoria Island and the Arctic Ocean coast of the Northwest Territories – the lands of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. It was traditionally subsumed under a broader Inuktitut . [8] Rather than a coherent language, Inuvialuktun is a politically motivated[ citation needed ] grouping of three quite distinct and separate varieties. It consists of Sallirmiutun (formerly Siglitun; Inuvialuktun proper), the Kangiryuarmiutun dialect of Inuinnaqtun on Victoria Island in the East and the Uummarmiutun dialect of Iñupiaq around Inuvik and Aklavik in the West. [7] [9]
Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut constitute three of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories. [5] Inuinnaqtun is also official alongside Inuktitut in Nunavut. [10]
The Inuvialuktun dialects are seriously endangered, [11] as English has in recent years become the common language of the community. Surveys of Inuktitut usage in the NWT vary, but all agree that usage is not vigorous. According to Statistics Canada's 2016 Census 680 (22%) of the 3,110 Inuvialuit speak any form of Inuktitut, and 550 (18%) use it at home. [1] Considering the large number of non-Inuit living in Inuvialuit areas and the lack of a single common dialect among the already reduced number of speakers, the future of the Inuit language in the NWT appears bleak.
Before the 20th century, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region was primarily inhabited by Siglit Inuit, who spoke Siglitun, but in the second half of the 19th century, their numbers were dramatically reduced by the introduction of new diseases. Inuit from Alaska moved into traditionally Siglit areas in the 1910s and 1920s, enticed in part by renewed demand for furs from the Hudson's Bay Company. These Inuit are called Uummarmiut – which means people of the green trees – in reference to their settlements near the tree line. Originally, there was an intense dislike between the Siglit and the Uummarmiut, but these differences have faded over the years, and the two communities are thoroughly intermixed these days.
The phonology of Inuvialuktun and other Inuit languages can be found at Inuit phonology.
Most Inuit languages have fifteen consonants and three vowel qualities (with phonemic length distinctions for each). Although Inupiatun and Qawiaraq have retroflex consonants, retroflexes have otherwise disappeared in all the Canadian and Greenlandic dialects.
Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun are written in a Latin alphabet and have no tradition of Inuktitut syllabics. [12] However, the dialects spoken in Nunavut, east of the Inuinnaqtun region use syllabics. [3]
The Inuvialuktun dialects are seriously endangered, as English has in recent years become the common language of the community. Surveys of Inuktitut usage in the NWT vary, but all agree that usage is not vigorous. According to the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre, only 10% of the roughly 4,000 Inuvialuit speak any form of Inuktitut, and only 4% use it at home. Statistics Canada's 2001 Census report is only slightly better, reporting 765 self-identified Inuktitut speakers out of a self-reported Inuvialuit population of 3,905. Considering the large number of non-Inuit living in Inuvialuit areas and the lack of a single common dialect among the already reduced number of speakers, the future of the Inuit language in the NWT appears bleak.
From east to west, the dialects are:
The Inuvialuk dialects spoken in Nunavut (that is, Iglulingmiut, Aivilingmiutut, Kivallirmiutut, and eastern Natsilingmiutut) are often counted as Inuktitut, and the government of the NWT only recognizes Inuinnaqtun and Inuvialuktun. In addition, Uummarmiutun , the dialect of the Uummarmiut which is essentially identical to the Inupiatun dialect spoken in Alaska and so considered an Inupiat language, has conventionally been grouped with Inuvialuktun because it's spoken in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the NWT. Uummarmiutun is found in the communities of Inuvik and Aklavik.
English | Inuvialuktun | pronunciation |
---|---|---|
Hello | Atitu | /atitu/ |
Good Bye | Ilaannilu/Qakugulu | /ilaːnːilu/ / /qakuɡulu/ |
Thank you | Quyanainni | /qujanainːi/ |
You are welcome | Amiunniin | /amiunːiːn/ |
How are you? | Qanuq itpin? | /qanuqitpin/ |
I am fine | Nakuyumi/Nakuyumi assi | /nakujumiasːi/ |
Good morning | Ublaami | /ublaːmi/ |
Yes | Ii | /iː/ |
No | Naaggai | /naːɡːai/ |
It's cold! Brrr! | Alaappa! | /alaːpːa/ |
*Gasp* (an expression used when alarmed or fearful) | Alii | /aliː/ |
See you later | Anaqanaallu | /anaqanaːlːu/ |
Wow/Awesome | Aqqali | /aqːali/ |
Listen! | Ata! | /ata/ |
See you, too | Ilaanniptauq | /ilaːnːiptauq/ |
It is like this | Imaaniittuaq | /imaːniːtːuaq/ |
Like this | Imanna | /imanːa/ |
Whose? | Kia? | /kia/ |
Who is this? | Kina una? | /kinauna/ |
Where? | Nani?/Naung?/Sumi? | /nani/ / /nauŋ/ / /sumi/ |
Where are you from? | Nakinngaaqpin?/Sumiutauvin? | /nakiŋːaːqpin/ / /sumiutauvin/} |
How much does it cost? | Qanuq akitutigivaa? | /qanuqakitutiɡivaː/ |
How old is he/she? | Qanuq ukiuqtutigiva? | /qanuqukiututiɡiva/ |
What do you call it? | Qanuq taivakpiung? | /qanuqtaivakpiuŋ/ |
What is the time? | Sumukpaung? | /sumukpauŋ/ |
What for? | Suksaq? | /suksaq/ |
Why? Or how come? | Suuq? | /suːq/ |
What? | Suva?/Suna? | /suva/~/suna/ |
Doesn't matter/It is ok | Sunngittuq | /suŋːitːuq/ |
What are you doing? | Suvin? | /suvin/ |
It can't be helped! Too bad. | Qanurviituq! | /qanuʁviːtuq/ |
in fact, actually | Nutim | [nutim] |
Do it again! | Pipsaarung! | [pipsaːʁuŋ] |
Go ahead and do it | Piung | [piuŋ] |
It is cold out! | Qiqauniqtuaq | /qiqauniqtuaq/ |
Christmas | Qitchirvik | /qittʃiʁviq/ |
Candy | Uqummiaqataaq | [/uqumːiaqataːq/ |
Play music | Atuqtuuyaqtuaq | /atuqtuːjaqtuaq/ |
Drum dancing | Qilaun/Qilausiyaqtuaq | /qilaun/ / /qilausijaqtuaq/ |
Church | Angaadjuvik | /aŋaːdʒuvik/ |
Bell | Aviluraun | /aviluʁaun/ |
Jewels | Savaqutit | /savaqutit/ |
Eskimo ice cream | Akutuq | /akutaq/ |
That's it! | Taima! | /taima/ |
Siglitun Inuvialuktun snow terms [13] | English meaning |
---|---|
Apiqaun | first snow layer in autumn that stays |
Apusiqqaun | first fall of snow |
Aqiuyaq | small, fresh snowdrift |
Masak | waterlogged snow |
Mauyaa | deep, soft snow |
Minguliruqtuaq | blowing wet snow |
Piangnaq | good snow conditions for sledge travel |
The Inuit languages are a closely related group of indigenous American languages traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and the adjacent subarctic regions as far south as Labrador. The Inuit languages are one of the two branches of the Eskimoan language family, the other being the Yupik languages, which are spoken in Alaska and the Russian Far East. Most Inuit people live in one of three countries: Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark; Canada, specifically in Nunavut, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories, the Nunavik region of Quebec, and the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions of Labrador; and the United States, specifically in northern and western Alaska.
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2023 is 45,668. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
The Eskaleut, Eskimo–Aleut or Inuit–Yupik–Unangan languages are a language family native to the northern portions of the North American continent, and a small part of northeastern Asia. Languages in the family are indigenous to parts of what are now the United States (Alaska); Canada including Nunavut, Northwest Territories, northern Quebec (Nunavik), and northern Labrador (Nunatsiavut); Greenland; and the Russian Far East. The language family is also known as Eskaleutian, Eskaleutic or Inuit–Yupik–Unangan.
Aklavik is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served as the regional administrative centre for the territorial government.
Inuinnaqtun, is an Inuit language. It is spoken in the central Canadian Arctic. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut. The government of Nunavut recognises Inuinnaqtun as an official language in addition to Inuktitut, and together sometimes referred to as Inuktut. It is spoken in the Northwest Territories as well and is recognised as an official language of the territory in addition to Inuvialuktun and Inuktitut.
Inuktitut, also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, to some extent in northeastern Manitoba as well as the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is one of the aboriginal languages written with Canadian Aboriginal syllabics.
The Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska. Their homeland – the Inuvialuit Settlement Region – covers the Arctic Ocean coastline area from the Alaskan border, east through the Beaufort Sea and beyond the Amundsen Gulf which includes some of the western Canadian Arctic Islands, as well as the inland community of Aklavik and part of Yukon. The land was demarked in 1984 by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.
Kangiryuarmiutun, is a dialect of Inuit language spoken in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada by the Kangiryuarmiut, a Copper Inuit group. The dialect is part of the Inuvialuktun language. The people of Ulukhaktok prefer to think of it as Inuinnaqtun and it is essentially the same.
Sallirmiutun is the dialect of Inuvialuktun spoken by the Siglit, an Inuit group of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is mainly used in the Inuvialuit communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk. Sallirmiutun was once the principal dialect of the Mackenzie River delta, nearby parts of the coast and Arctic Ocean islands, but the number of speakers fell dramatically following outbreaks of new diseases in the 19th century and for many years Sallirmiutun was believed to be completely extinct. It was only in the 1980s that outsiders realised that it was still spoken.
Uummarmiutun, Uummaġmiutun or Canadian Iñupiaq is the variant of Iñupiaq spoken by the Uummarmiut, part of the Inuvialuit, who live mainly in the communities of Inuvik and Aklavik in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
Ulukhaktok and known until 1 April 2006 as Holman or Holman Island) is a small hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Inuit are a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska. Inuit languages are part of the Eskimo–Aleut languages, also known as Inuit-Yupik-Unangan, and also as Eskaleut. Inuit Sign Language is a critically endangered language isolate used in Nunavut.
The Kangiryuarmiut are an Inuvialuit group, culturally and historically related to the Copper Inuit. They were historically located on Victoria Island in the areas of Prince Albert Sound, Cape Baring, and central Victoria island. They often travelled seasonally around their traditional territory including to Banks Island, both south to Nelson Head and as far north as Mercy Bay to collect raw materials from the wreck of HMS Investigator. Archaeologists have also found many sites left by Kangiryuarmiut and their ancestors in what is now Aulavik National Park. Today, many Kangiryurmiut still live on Victoria Island, in the hamlet of Uluhaktok, now within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
The Inuvialuit Settlement Region, abbreviated as ISR, located in Canada's western Arctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement by the Government of Canada for the Inuvialuit people. It spans 90,650 km2 (35,000 sq mi) of land, mostly above the tree line, and includes several subregions: the Beaufort Sea, the Mackenzie River delta, the northern portion of Yukon, and the northwest portion of the Northwest Territories. The ISR includes both Crown Lands and Inuvialuit Private Lands.
Inuit Nunangat refers to the land, water, and ice of the homeland of Inuit in Canada. This Arctic homeland consists of four northern Canadian regions called the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the territory Nunavut (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ), Nunavik (ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) in northern Quebec, and Nunatsiavut of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This article discusses the phonology of the Inuit languages. Unless otherwise noted, statements refer to Inuktitut dialects of Canada.
Utkuhiksalik, Utkuhikhalik, Utkuhikhaliq, Utkuhiksalingmiutitut, Utkuhiksalingmiutut, Utkuhiksalingmiut Inuktitut, Utku, Gjoa Haven dialect, is a sub-dialect of Natsilingmiutut (Nattiliŋmiut) dialect of Inuvialuktun language once spoken in the Utkuhiksalik area of Nunavut, and now spoken mainly by elders in Uqsuqtuuq and Qamani'tuaq on mainland Canada. It is generally written in Inuktitut syllabics.
Region 1 is the name of a Statistics Canada census division, one of six in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was introduced in the 2011 census, along with Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, resulting in the abolition of the former census divisions of Fort Smith Region and Inuvik Region. Unlike in some other provinces, census divisions do not reflect the organization of local government in the Northwest Territories. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own.
The North Baffin dialect of Inuktitut is spoken on the northern part of Baffin Island, at Igloolik and the adjacent part of the Melville Peninsula, and in other Inuit communities in the far north of Nunavut, like Resolute, Grise Fiord, Pond Inlet, Clyde River, and Arctic Bay.
Kivalliq, also known as Kivallirmiutut, Caribou Eskimo, or formerly as Keewatin, is a dialect of Eastern Canadian Inuktitut which is spoken along the northwestern shores of Hudson Bay in Nunavut.