inuktitut

Inuktitut is an Inuit language spoken by the Inuit across the Canadian Arctic, primarily in Nunavut, the northern regions of Quebec (Nunavik) and parts of Labrador, with smaller communities in the Northwest Territories. It belongs to the Inuit branch of the Eskimo-Aleut language family. Inuktitut comprises a group of related dialects and varieties, forming a continuum from Western to Eastern varieties used in different regions.

Writing systems: Inuktitut is written mainly with Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, a script developed in the 19th century for use with Inuktitut. A Latin-based orthography is also used, particularly in education and publishing. In Nunavut, government and media commonly employ both scripts.

Status and use: Inuktitut has official status in Nunavut, alongside Inuinnaqtun and English, and is used in education, government, media, and daily life. It remains the focus of ongoing language preservation and revitalization efforts as communities work to maintain intergenerational transmission.

Linguistic notes: Inuktitut is highly polysynthetic, creating long words by combining morphemes to express complex ideas. It is part of the Inuit sub-branch of the Eskimo-Aleut family and features a rich system of suffixes, aspect markers, and evidentiality. The language encodes Arctic knowledge and place names and supports a strong oral tradition and storytelling.