Greenlandic language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Greenlandic |
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| kalaallisut | ||||
| Native to | Greenland, Denmark | |||
| Ethnicity | Greenlandic Inuit | |||
| Native speakers | 56,200, 88% of ethnic population (2007)e18 | |||
| Language family | ||||
| Early forms: |
Old Greenlandic
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| Dialects |
Kalaallisut
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| Writing system | Latin Scandinavian Braille |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in |  Greenland |
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| Recognised minority language in |  Denmark |
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| Regulated by | The Greenland Language Secretariat Oqaasileriffik | |||
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Greenlandic is the official language of Greenland, a large island country. It is spoken by most people living there. This language is also known as Kalaallisut. It belongs to the Inuit languages family, which means it is related to languages spoken by Inuit people in places like Canada and Alaska.
Greenlandic is a very interesting language. It has a unique way of forming words by adding many endings to a single base word. This can make words very long! The language is divided into three main dialects. These are like different versions of the same language.
Contents
Greenlandic Language Dialects
The Greenlandic language has three main dialects. They are a bit different from each other. These differences can be in how words sound or even in some of the words used.
Kalaallisut: The Official Language
Kalaallisut is the most common dialect. It is also the official language of Greenland. This means it is used in schools, government, and media. It is taught to all students in Greenland. Kalaallisut is mostly based on the language spoken in western Greenland.
This dialect has borrowed many words from Danish. This is because Denmark has a long history with Greenland. Other Inuit languages in Canada and Alaska have borrowed words from English, French, or Russian instead. Kalaallisut is written using the Latin alphabet, which is the same alphabet English uses. The way people speak Kalaallisut in the Upernavik area (northwest Greenland) sounds a little different from the standard version.
Tunumiit Oraasiat: East Greenlandic
Tunumiit oraasiat is the dialect spoken in eastern Greenland. You might also hear it called Tunumiisut. This dialect is quite different from other Inuit languages. About 3,000 people speak Tunumiit oraasiat.
Avanersuaq: North Greenlandic
Avanersuaq is the dialect from the northern part of Greenland, around a town called Qaanaaq. It is sometimes called the Thule dialect. This area is the northernmost place where Inuit people live. Not many people speak Avanersuaq, fewer than 1,000.
This dialect is thought to be similar to the North Baffin dialect. This is because some Inuit people from Baffin Island (in Canada) moved to this area in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Images for kids
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A bilingual sign in Nuuk showing the contrast between Danish and Kalaallisut. The sign translates to "parking forbidden for all vehicles".
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The orthography and the vocabulary of the Greenlandic language is governed by Oqaasileriffik, the Greenlandic language secretariat, located in the Ilimmarfik university campus in Nuuk.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma groenlandés para niños
