EskimoAleut

EskimoAleut, also known as the Eskimo–Aleut language family, is a circumpolar grouping of indigenous languages spoken in the Arctic regions of North America and northeastern Asia. It comprises two primary branches: Eskimo and Aleut. The Eskimo branch includes Inuit languages (such as Kalaallisut/Greenlandic, Inuktitut and other Inuktut varieties, and Inupiaq) as well as the Yupik languages (including Central Alaskan Yup’ik and Siberian Yup’ik). The Aleut branch includes Unangax̂ (Aleut) with its dialects and, historically, other varieties such as Attuan.

Geographic distribution and speakers: Eskimo–Aleut languages are spoken across Alaska, parts of western Canada, Greenland, and coastal Siberia (Chukotka and adjacent regions). Today, many of these languages have relatively small speaker communities and are considered endangered or vulnerable, though Greenlandic has official status in Greenland and Inuktitut varieties are widely used in parts of Canada and Alaska.

Linguistic characteristics: The family is characterized by agglutinative and polysynthetic morphology, producing complex words that encode syntactic and semantic information. Noun incorporation, extensive use of affixes, and rich verb morphology are common. The languages show variation in phonology and syntax but share core morphological patterns.

Status and revitalization: Efforts exist to document and revitalize Eskimo–Aleut languages, including community programs, education initiatives, and language immersion efforts in Greenland, Canada, and Alaska.