Inuktun

Inuktun (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is the language of approximately 1,000 Indigenous Inughuit (Polar Inuit), inhabiting the world's northernmost settlements in Qaanaaq and the surrounding villages in northwestern Greenland.

Geographic distribution

Apart from the town of Qaanaaq, Inuktun is also spoken in the villages of (Inuktun names in brackets) Moriusaq (Muriuhaq), Siorapaluk (Hiurapaluk), Qeqertat (Qikiqtat), Qeqertarsuaq (Qikiqtarhuaq), and Savissivik (Havighivik).

Classification

The language is an Eskimo–Aleut language and dialectologically it is in between the Greenlandic language (Kalaallisut) and the Canadian Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun or Inuinnaqtun. The language differs from Kalaallisut by some phonological, grammatical and lexical differences.

History

The Polar Inuit were the last to cross from Canada into Greenland and they may have arrived as late as in the 18th century. The language was first described by the explorers Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen who travelled through northern Greenland in the early 20th century and established a trading post in 1910 at Dundas (Uummannaq) near Pituffik.

Current situation

Inuktun does not have its own orthography and is not taught in schools. However, most of the inhabitants of Qaanaaq and the surrounding villages use Inuktun in their everyday communication.

All speakers of Inuktun also speak Standard Greenlandic and many also speak Danish and a few also English.

Phonology and orthography

There is no official way to transcribe Inuktun. This article uses the orthography of Michael Fortescue, which deliberately reflects the close connection between Inuktun and Inuktitut

Vowels

The vowels are the same as in other Inuit dialects: , and

	Front	Central	Back
Close	Template:IPA link Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Mid	(Template:IPA link~Template:IPA link Template:IPA link~Template:IPA link)Template:Efn		(Template:IPA link Template:IPA link)Template:Efn
Open	Template:IPA link Template:IPA link		(Template:IPA link Template:IPA link)Template:Efn

Template:Notelist There are two diphthongs: and , which have been assimilated in West Greenlandic to (except for final )

Consonants

The most notable phonological difference from West Greenlandic is the debuccalization of West Greenlandic to (often pronounced ) except for geminate (from earlier or ). Inuktun also allows more consonant clusters than Kalaallisut, namely ones with initial , , , or . Older or conservative speakers also still have clusters with initial , or . Younger speakers have gone further in reducing old clusters, with also , and being assimilated to the following consonant.

The digraphs Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr (from earlier and , cognates with West Greenlandic Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr) are pronounced like West Greenlandic velar and uvular fricatives -gg- and -rr- respectively.

Consonants of Inuktun

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal	plain	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr, Template:VrTemplate:Efn		Template:IPA link Template:Vr, Template:VrTemplate:Efn	(Template:IPA link Template:Vr)Template:Efn
	geminated	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr		Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr
Plosive	plain	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr		Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn
	geminated	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr		Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr
Affricate	plain		(Template:IPA link Template:Vr)Template:Efn
	geminated		Template:IPA link Template:Vr
Fricative	plain	Template:IPA link Template:Vr Template:Efn	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	(Template:IPA link Template:Vr)Template:Efn	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr Template:Efn
	geminated		Template:IPA link Template:Vr		Template:IPA link Template:Vr	Template:IPA link Template:Vr
Approximant			(Template:IPA link Template:Vr)Template:Efn	Template:IPA link Template:Vr
Flap			Template:IPA link Template:VrTemplate:Efn

Comparison with West Greenlandic

Pronunciation
Inuktun	West Greenlandic
a , Template:Efn
aa , Template:Efn
ai	aa , Template:Efn ai Template:Efn
au	aa , Template:Efn
g
gg	gg
gh	ss
gl	ll
h , (see above)	s Template:Efn
i , Template:Efn	i e Template:Efn
ii , Template:Efn	ii ee Template:Efn
j
k , Template:Efn	k
kp / Template:Efn	pp
kt / Template:Efn	tt
l	l
ll	ll
m
n
ng
ngm / Template:Efn	mm
ngn / Template:Efn	nn
p
q , Template:Efn	q
qp	rp
qt , Template:Efn	rt , Template:Efn
r
rl	rl
rm	rm
rn	rn
rng
rh	rs
rv (may be for older speakers)	rf
s
ss
t , Template:Efn	t , Template:Efn
ts
u , Template:Efn	u o Template:Efn
uu , Template:Efn	uu oo Template:Efn
v (may be for older speakers)	v
vv (may be for older speakers)	ff

References

• Fortescue, Michael, 1991, Inuktun: an introduction to the language of Qaanaaq, Thule, Institut for Eskimologi 15, Københavns Universitet

External links

• Pax Leonard, Stephen. "Scientist lives with Arctic Innuguit for a year to document and help save disappearing language." The Guardian.