greenlandic

Greenlandic, commonly referred to as Kalaallisut, is an Inuit language spoken in Greenland. It belongs to the Inuit branch of the Eskimo-Aleut language family and forms the basis of Greenlandic identity. It is the official language of Greenland alongside Danish, with Greenlandic used in education, government, media, and daily life; Danish remains widely used as a second language and in international relations. There are roughly 50,000–60,000 native speakers, concentrated in Greenland and the surrounding communities, with a smaller diaspora in Denmark and elsewhere.

Dialects and varieties: Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic) is the standard variety and language of administration and media. East Greenlandic (Tunumiit oraasiat) and Northern Greenlandic (Inuktun) are more divergent; speakers of these varieties often learn Kalaallisut to communicate nationwide. In practice, Kalaallisut serves as the lingua franca across Greenland.

Orthography and writing: Greenlandic uses a Latin-based alphabet. The current standard orthography was developed in the 20th century; it is used in schools, newspapers, and official texts. Spelling and grammar aim to reflect spoken language.

Grammar: Greenlandic is polysynthetic and highly agglutinative, with complex suffixing on verbs that encode subject, object, number, mood, and tense. Many words are long compounds formed from root verbs and a string of suffixes. The language exhibits ergative alignment in its verbal system.

Culture and education: In Greenland, Greenlandic is the language of instruction in primary and many secondary schools, supported by language planning and media efforts. Danish remains important for higher education and international communication.