Natsilingmiutut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Natsilik |
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Nattiliŋmiutut | ||||
Native to | Canada | |||
Region | North America | |||
Ethnicity | Netsilik Inuit | |||
Native speakers | (unknown) | |||
Language family | ||||
![]() Inuit dialects. (Broader) Netsilik is the dark green in the center.
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Natsilik (also called Netsilik or Nattilik) is a special way of speaking the Inuit language. People in western Nunavut, Canada, who are part of the Netsilik Inuit group, use this language.
The name Natsilingmiut (which means 'people from Natsilik') comes from a few Inuit words put together. It starts with natsik meaning 'seal'. Then comes -lik, which means 'a place with something'. Finally, -miut means 'inhabitants of'. So, Natsilik means 'people from the place of seals'.
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Different Ways to Speak Natsilik
The Natsilik language has three main ways of speaking, called dialects. Think of them like different accents or small variations within the same language.
- The main Natsilik dialect, sometimes called Natsilik proper.
- The Arviligjuaq dialect.
- The Illuiliq dialect.
Special Sounds and Letters
The Natsilik dialect uses some special letters that help show unique sounds. These letters are š, ř, and ŋ. Some Nattiliŋmiut speakers use them.
The š Sound
The letter š [ʂ] makes a sound a bit like "shr" in English. It's different from the usual 's' sound you hear in English words. It's also different from the 'h' sound.
Here are some examples of words with the š sound:
- ᐅᖅᓱᖅᑑᖅ Uqšuqtuuq means 'Gjoa Haven' (a place).
- ᒥᒃᓵᓄᑦ mikšaanut means 'about'.
- ᓯᒃᓯᒃ hikšik means 'ground squirrel' or 'marmot'.
New ways to write these sounds in digital text (called Unicode) were added in 2021. This makes it easier to use these special letters on computers and phones.
The ř Sound
The letter ř [ɟ] sounds a bit like a special 'r' in English. It's different from the 'r' sound in other Inuit dialects, which is more like the 'r' in French.
Here are some words with the ř sound:
- ᐃᖨ iři means 'eye'.
- ᐅᒡᖪᒃ ugřuk means 'bearded seal'.
- ᑭᐅᖪᖅ kiuřuq means 's/he replies' or 'answers'.
- ᐊᐱᕆᖪᖅ apiriřuq means 's/he asks'.
The ŋ Sound
The letter ŋ is used by some Inuit speakers instead of 'ng'. Even though 'ng' uses two letters, it often makes just one sound. In the Inuit writing system (syllabics), this sound is shown with a single character. Using ŋ helps make it clearer when there are two different 'n' and 'g' sounds together, or just one long 'ng' sound.
Here are some examples:
- ᐊᕕᓐᖓᖅ avinŋuaq means 'lemming'.
- ᑭᙵᖅ kiŋŋaq means 'mountain'.
How Natsilik Compares to Other Dialects
This table shows how some words are said differently in Natsilik compared to other Inuit dialects. It helps you see the unique sounds of Natsilik.
Inuinnaqtun | Nattiliŋmiut | Kivallirmiut | Aggurmiut (North Baffin) |
Uqqurmiut (South Baffin) |
Kalaallisut | meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
niriyuq (ᓂᕆᔪᖅ) |
niriřuq ᓂᕆᖪᖅ |
nirijuq ᓂᕆᔪᖅ |
nirijuq ᓂᕆᔪᖅ |
nirijuq ᓂᕆᔪᖅ |
nerivoq | s/he eats |
ihumayuq (ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖅ) |
ihumařuq ᐃᓱᒪᖪᖅ |
ihumajuq ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖅ |
isumajuq ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖅ |
isumajuq ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖅ |
isumavoq | s/he thinks |
pingahut (ᐱᖓᓱᑦ) |
piŋahut ᐱᖓᓱᑦ |
pingahut ᐱᖓᓱᑦ |
pingasut ᐱᖓᓱᑦ |
pingasut ᐱᖓᓱᑦ |
pingasut | three |
akhunaaq (ᐊᒃᓱᓈᖅ) |
akłunaaq ᐊᒃᖢᓈᖅ |
akłunaaq ᐊᒃᖢᓈᖅ |
akłunaaq ᐊᒃᖢᓈᖅ |
atsunaaq, attunaaq ᐊᑦᓱᓈᖅ, ᐊᑦᑐᓈᖅ |
allunaa(sa)q | rope |
uqhuq (ᐅᖅᓱᖅ) |
uqšuq ᐅᖅᓱᖅ |
uqhuq ᐅᖅᓱᖅ |
uqsuq ᐅᖅᓱᖅ |
uqsuq ᐅᖅᓱᖅ |
orsoq | fat, blubber |
quana (ᖁᐊᓇ) |
qujanaqqutit ᖁᔭᓇᖅᑯᑎᑦ |
ma’na ᒪ'ᓇ |
qujannamiik ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ |
nakurmiik ᓇᑯᕐᒦᒃ |
qujanaq | thank you |
imannaq (ᐃᒪᓐᓇᖅ) |
iiq ᐄᖅ |
nauk ᓇᐅᒃ |
aakka ᐋᒃᑲ |
aagga ᐋᒡᒐ |
naagga | no |
hiqiniq (ᓯᕿᓂᖅ) |
hiqiniq ᓯᕿᓂᖅ |
hiqiniq ᓯᕿᓂᖅ |
siqiniq ᓯᕿᓂᖅ |
siqiniq ᓯᕿᓂᖅ |
seqineq | sun |
ublaaq (ᐅᑉᓛᖅ) |
ublaaq ᐅᑉᓛᖅ |
ublaaq ᐅᑉᓛᖅ |
ullaaq ᐅᓪᓛᖅ |
ullaaq ᐅᓪᓛᖅ |
ullaaq | morning |
qablu (ᖃᑉᓗ) |
qablu ᖃᑉᓗ |
qablu ᖃᑉᓗ |
qallu ᖃᓪᓗ |
qallu ᖃᓪᓗ |
qallu | eyebrow |