Uummarmiutun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Uummarmiutun |
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|---|---|
| Native to | Canada |
| Ethnicity | Uummarmiut |
| Native speakers | (unknown) |
| Language family | |
Inuit dialects. Uummarmiut is the orange within Canada.
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Uummarmiutun (IPA: [uːm.mɑʁ.mi.u.tun]), also called Uummaġmiutun or Canadian Iñupiaq, is a special way of speaking the Iñupiaq language. It is used by the Uummarmiut people, who are part of the Inuvialuit. Most Uummarmiut live in the towns of Inuvik and Aklavik in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
This way of speaking is very similar to the Iñupiaq language used by the Inupiat in Alaska. Uummarmiutun came to Canada when people moved from Alaska in the 1910s. They settled on lands that traditionally belonged to the Siglit Inuit. These lands had been left empty because of serious sicknesses that happened many years before.
In towns like Inuvik and Aklavik, many different groups of people live together. English is almost always the language people use to talk to each other. Because of this, not many young people speak Uummarmiutun today. The language is in danger of disappearing.
Uummarmiutun is one of three main ways of speaking the Inuit language in this area. The other two are Kangiryuarmiutun and Siglitun. All three are grouped together under the name Inuvialuktun.
Sounds of Uummarmiutun
Uummarmiutun has 31 different sounds, called phonemes. These sounds include six vowels, which can be short or long. There are also five diphthongs, which are sounds made by combining two vowels. The rest of the sounds are consonants.
- Vowel sounds: /a, i, u, aː, iː, uː, ai, ui, iu, ua, ia/
- Consonant sounds: /p, t, k, g, q, m, n, ɲ, ŋ, f, v, ʁ, h, t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, j, r, l, ɫ, j/
Comparing Words: Animals in Iñupiaq
Let's look at how some animal names are said in different ways of speaking Iñupiaq. You'll see how similar they are! Sometimes, the names look a little different because of how they are spelled in Alaska versus Canada.
| Alaskan Iñupiaq | Canadian Iñupiaq | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Uummaġmiutun | Uummarmiutun | Uummarmiut way of speaking |
| siksrik | hikr̂ik/sikr̂ik | Ground squirrel |
| qugruk | qugr̂uk | Tundra swan |
| aaġlu | arlu | Killer whale |
| amaġuq | amaruq | Gray wolf |
| isuŋŋaġluk | ihun’ngaq | Pomarine jaeger (a type of bird) |
| kaŋuq | kanguq | Snow goose |
| qunŋiq | qun’ngiq | Reindeer |
| tiġiganniaq | tiriganiaq | Arctic fox |
| umiŋmak | umingmak | Musk ox |
See also
- Eskimo–Aleut Languages
- IPA (a system for writing down sounds)
