Inupiat language

Inupiat language
Inupiaq
Iñupiatun
Spoken in United States, formerly Russia; Northwest Territories of Canada
Region Alaska; formerly Big Diomede Island
Ethnicity Inupiat
Native speakers 2,420 in Alaska  (2000 census)
Language family
Eskimo–Aleut
Writing system Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-1 ik
ISO 639-2 ipk
ISO 639-3 ipk – Macrolanguage
individual codes:
esi – North Alaskan Inupiatun
esk – Northwest Alaska Inupiatun
Inuktitut dialect map.svg
Inuit dialects. Inupiat dialects are orange (Northern Alaskan) and pink (Seward Peninsula).

The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq,[1] Inyupiat,[1] Inyupeat,[2] Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100 speakers of Iñupiaq (Krauss, 2007). The speakers are known as Inupiat. The Iñupiaq letter ñ [ɲ] is pronounced as an English ny.

Contents

Dialects

There are four main dialect divisions and these can be organized within two larger dialect collections:[3]

Linguistics

The Inupiaq dialects, like other Eskimo–Aleut languages, represent a particular type of agglutinative language called a polysynthetic language: it "synthesizes" a root and various grammatical affixes to create long words with sentence-like meanings.

Inupiaq has three basic vowels: 'a', 'i', and 'u'. As short vowels, 'a' is pronounced like the 'u' in English 'nut', 'i' is like the 'ee' in the English word 'sleep' and 'u' is like the 'u' in the English word 'rule'. When adjacent to the uvular consonants 'q' and 'ġ', they are lowered, to 'au' in 'caught', 'a' in 'Kate' and 'oa' in 'coat', respectively. There are long forms of the basic values, written 'aa', 'ii', and 'uu'. In Inupiaq, long and short vowels must be distinguished because they make a difference in word meanings. Short vowels may be joined to produce the diphthongs 'ai', 'ia', 'au', 'iu', and 'ui'.

The vowel written 'i' is derived historically from two earlier vowels, one of which causes palatalization of the following consonant, and the other, which does not. Only in pedagogical texts are the two kinds of 'i' written differently.

Inupiaq has 14 consonants. All stops are voiceless, which means that Inupiaq has the sounds of English 'p', 't' and 'k' but not the sounds of English 'b', 'd', 'g'. The consonant written in Alaska as 'q' is like the English 'k' but pronounced further back in the throat. The Inupiaq sound written in Alaska as 'ġ' is pronounced as a buzz in the back of the throat, while 'g' is pronounced like the fricative in Spanish 'agosto'. 'ḷ' is like 'lli' in English 'million', 'ñ' is like 'ni' in 'onion', 'ŋ' is like 'ng' in 'singer', and 'ł' is the voiceless 'll' in Welsh 'Lloyd'.

Writing systems

Inupiaq was first written when explorers first arrived in Alaska and began recording words in the native languages. They wrote by adapting the letters of their own language to writing the sounds they were recording. Spelling was often inconsistent, since the writers invented it as they wrote. Unfamiliar sounds were often confused with other sounds, so that, for example, 'q' was often not distinguished from 'k' and long consonants or vowels were not distinguished from short ones.

Along with the Alaskan and Siberian Yupik, the Inupiat eventually adopted the written system based on Roman orthography (Qaliujaaqpait) that Moravian missionaries first developed in Greenland and Labrador. Independently of missionaries from the south, the Alaskans also developed a system of hieroglyphics, which, however, died with its creators.[4]

In 1946, Roy Ahmaogak, an Inupiaq Presbyterian minister from Barrow, worked with Eugene Nida, a member of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, to develop the current Iñupiaq writing system based on the Roman alphabet. Although some changes have been made since its origin—most notably the change from 'dotted-k' to 'q'—the essential system was accurate and is still in use.

Inupiaq alphabet (Atchagat)

A a Ch ch G g Ġ ġ H h I i K k L l Ḷ ḷ Ł ł Ł̣ ł̣ M m
a cha ga ġa ha i ka la ḷa ła ł̣a ma
/a/ /tʃ/ /ɣ/ /ʁ/ /h/ /i/ /k/ /l/ /ʎ/ /ɬ/ /ʎ̥/ /m/
N n Ñ ñ Ŋ ŋ P p Q q R r S s Sr sr T t U u V v Y y
na ña ŋa pa qa ra sa sra ta u va ya
/n/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/ /p/ /q/ /ʐ/ /s/ /ʂ/ /t/ /u/ /v/ /j/

[5]

Alaskan Iñupiaq Alphabet

A Ch G Ġ H I K L Ł Ł̣ M N Ñ Ŋ P Q R S Sr T U V Y
a ch g ġ h i k l ł ł̣ m n ñ ŋ p q r s sr t u v y
/a/ /tʃ/ /ɣ/ /ʁ/ /h/ /i/ /k/ /l/ /ʎ/ /ɬ/ /ʎ̥/ /m/ /n/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/ /p/ /q/ /ʐ/ /s/ /ʂ/ /t/ /u/ /v/ /j/

extra letters for Alaskan dialectic usage:

  • Diomede : e
  • Bering  : w , z , zr
  • Kobuk :
  • Seward : b

Canadian Iñupiaq Alphabet

A Ch F G H Dj I K L Ł M N Ñ Ng P Q R Ȓ T U V Y
a ch f g h dj i k l ł m n ñ ng p q r ȓ t u v y

Text Sample

This is a sample of the Inupiaq language of the Kobuk river Eskimos (re-transcribed with q for ).

Kayuqtuq ukiaġmi. Sikulġmiu-rami pisruktuaq tamaani. Qaluŋmik niġiruak tikiññiġaa iyyaġrim apiq-srukługu-aasriiñ, "Nakiñ taamna qa-lik piviuŋ?"

"Kanakŋa sikuiḷḷiġumun pamium-nik niksiksuqługu niksiksikkaġa," itnaġniġaa.[6]

This is the English translation, from the same source:

Fox and Blackbear were around at fall time as the first ice was forming. Bear came upon Fox eating a fish and asked him, "Where did you get that fish?"

"I hooked the fish with my tail down there where the river has open spots," said Fox.

Vocabulary comparison

The comparison of number names in the three dialects:

North Slope Iñupiaq[7] Northwest Alaska Iñupiaq[7]
(Kobuk Malimiut)
King Island Iñupiaq[8] meaning
atausiq atausriq atausiq 1
malġuk malġuk maġluuk 2
piŋasut piñasrut piŋasut 3
sisamat sisamat sitamat 4
tallimat tallimat tallimat 5
itchaksrat itchaksrat aġvinikłit 6
tallimat malġuk tallimat malġuk tallimat maġluuk 7
tallimat piŋasut tallimat piñasrut tallimat piŋasut 8
quliŋuġutaiḷaq quliŋŋuutaiḷaq qulinŋutailat 9
qulit qulit qulit 10
qulit atausiq qulit atausriq qulit atausiq 11
qulit malġuk qulit malġuk qulit maġluuk 12
qulit piŋasut qulit piñasrut qulit piŋasut 13
akimiaġutaiḷaq akimiaŋŋutaiḷaq agimiaġutailaq 14
akimiaq akimiaq agimiaq 15
akimiaq atausiq akimiaq atausriq agimiaq atausiq 16
akimiaq malġuk akimiaq malġuk agimiaq maġluuk 17
akimiaq piŋasut akimiaq piñasrut agimiaq piŋasut 18
iñuiññaŋŋutaiḷaq iñuiñaġutaiḷaq inuinaġutailat 19
iñuiññaq iñuiñaq inuinnaq 20
iñuiññaq qulit iñuiñaq qulit inuinaq qulit 30
malġukipiaq malġukipiaq maġluutiviaq 40
malġukipiaq qulit malġukipiaq qulit maġluutiviaq qulit 50
piŋasukipiaq piñasrukipiaq piŋasuutiviaq 60
piŋasukipiaq qulit piñasrukipiaq qulit piŋasuutiviaq qulit 70
sisamakipiaq sisamakipiaq . 80
sisamakipiaq qulit sisamakipiaq qulit . 90
tallimakipiaq tallimakipiaq tallimativiaq 100
kavluutit . kabluutit 1000

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b http://www.sil.org/silewp/1997/002/silewp1997-002.html
  2. ^ Inyupeat Language of the Arctic, 1970, Point Hope dialect
  3. ^ "Iñupiaq/Inupiaq". languagegeek.com. http://www.languagegeek.com/inu/inupiaq.html. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  4. ^ Project Naming, the identification of Inuit portrayed in photographic collections at Library and Archives Canada
  5. ^ Kaplan, Lawrence (2000). "L'Inupiaq et les contacts linguistiques en Alaska". In Tersis, Nicole and Michèle Therrien (eds.), Les langues eskaléoutes: Sibérie, Alaska, Canada, Groënland, pages 91-108. Paris: CNRS Éditions. For an overview of Inupiaq phonology, see pages 92-94.
  6. ^ Unipchaat 2: Animal stories of the Kobuk River Eskimos 1969.‭ Fairbanks: Summer Institute of Linguistics. Booklet, 26 p.
  7. ^ a b Interactive IñupiaQ Dictionary
  8. ^ Ugiuvaŋmiuraaqtuaksrat / Future King Island Speakers

Further reading

  • Barnum, Francis. Grammatical Fundamentals of the Innuit Language As Spoken by the Eskimo of the Western Coast of Alaska. Hildesheim: G. Olms, 1970.
  • Blatchford, DJ. Just Like That!: Legends and Such, English to Inupiaq Alphabet. Kasilof, AK: Just Like That!, 2003. ISBN 0972330313
  • Bodfish, Emma, and David Baumgartner. Iñupiat Grammar. Utqiaġvigmi: Utqiaġvium minuaqtuġviata Iñupiatun savagvianni, 1979.
  • Kaplan, Lawrence D. Phonological Issues in North Alaskan Inupiaq. Alaska Native Language Center research papers, no. 6. Fairbanks, Alaska (Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks 99701): Alaska Native Language Center, 1981.
  • Kaplan, Lawrence. Iñupiaq Phrases and Conversations. Fairbanks, AK: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, 2000. ISBN 1555000738
  • MacLean, Edna Ahgeak. Iñupiallu Tanņiḷḷu Uqaluņisa Iḷaņich = Abridged Iñupiaq and English Dictionary. Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, 1980.
  • MacLean, Edna Ahgeak. Beginning North Slope Iñupiaq Grammar. Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, 1979.
  • Seiler, Wolf A. Iñupiatun Eskimo Dictionary. Kotzebue, Alaska: NANA Regional Corporation, 2005.
  • Seiler, Wolf. The Modalis Case in Iñupiat: (Eskimo of North West Alaska). Giessener Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft, Bd. 14. Grossen-Linden: Hoffmann, 1978. ISBN 3880980195
  • Webster, Donald Humphry, and Wilfried Zibell. Iñupiat Eskimo Dictionary. 1970.

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