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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. [4]
The words Inuktitut, or more correctly Inuktut ('Inuit language') are increasingly used to refer to both Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut together, or "Inuit languages" in English. [ 12 ] Nunavut is the home of some 24,000 Inuit, over 80% of whom speak Inuktitut.
- The Inuit Language
- Writing Systems
- Speaking The Language
- Notable Features
- Current State of The Language
Non-Inuit typically refer to the language as Inuktitut; however, the speakers themselves have different names for the language in their own dialects. For instance, it is called Inuttitut in Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Inuttut in Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador) and Inuktitut in much of Nunavut. A related issue is that Inuktitut is part of a dialect c...
Like most Indigenous languages in the Americas, Inuktitut did not have a writing system before contact with Europeans. This is not unusual because writing is a relatively recent human invention and human languages existed without writing for tens of thousands of years. (See also Oral History and Indigenous Oral Histories and Primary Sources.) Sylla...
Inuktitut, or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is considered a dialect group within the Inuitlanguage. Subdialects of Inuktitut include North and South Baffin, Labrador, Nunavik, Aivilik, Kivalliq and Natsilingmiutut. The other dialect group in Canada, Western Canadian Inuktun, includes Inuinnaqtun, Siglitun and Uummarmiutun, and is spoken in Western Nu...
Inuktitut has features that distinguish it from other languages, including its sound system, the complexity of Inuktitut words and its grammar. Sound System Inuktitut has a relatively small inventory of sounds, consisting of three vowels and around 14 consonants, depending on the dialect. By comparison, the inventory of sounds in Canadian English i...
Inuktitut has official status in Nunavut, alongside English and French. In the Northwest Territories, both Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun (a related group of dialects) are included among other “Official Aboriginal languages.” In Nunavik, Inuktitut has a recognized status in education as part of the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement, as well as the...
Inuktitut has official status in Nunavut, along with Inuinnaqtun, English and French. Inuktitut has legal recognition in Nunavik (ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) in northern Quebec, and is used as the medium of instruction in Nunavik schools.
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.
EnglishInuvialuktunPronunciationHelloAtitu/atitu/Good ByeIlaannilu/Qakugulu/ilaːnːilu/ / /qakuɡulu/Thank youQuyanainni/qujanainːi/You are welcomeAmiunniin/amiunːiːn/Inuktut is the language of Inuit, spoken across Inuit Nunaat, which includes Greenland, Alaska and Inuit Nunangat in Northern Canada. The term “Inuktut” is a broad term encompassing a number of other terms for Inuit languages, including Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and Inuvialuktun.
Inuinnaqtun is a member of the Inuit language family, considered the Central Arctic form of Inuktitut as spoken by the Inuinnait or Copper Inuit people. In 2019, there were 259 speakers in the NWT.
