Dialogue: Where is she?
Vocabulary
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Akukittut
ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᑦ
Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat)
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Ausuittuq
ᐊᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᖅ
Grise Fiord
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Kuugaaruk
ᑰᒑᕈᒃ
Kugaaruk
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Nunatsiaq
ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᖅ
Northwest Territories
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Qamani’tuaq
ᖃᒪᓂ'ᑐᐊᖅ
Baker Lake
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Ulaasiaq
ᐅᓛᓯᐊᖅ
Russia
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arvik
ᐊᕐᕕᒃ
bowhead whale
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innaaruq
ᐃᓐᓈᕈᖅ
cliff
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iqaluk
ᐃᖃᓗᒃ
fish
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kangiqtuk
ᑲᖏᖅᑐᒃ
inlet; fiord
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kimmik
ᑭᒻᒥᒃ
heel
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kinngait
ᑭᙵᐃᑦ
mountains
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kuugalaak
ᑰᒐᓛᒃ
creek
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kuuk
ᑰᒃ
river
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naujaq
ᓇᐅᔭᖅ
seagull
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nuna
ᓄᓇ
land
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nuvua
ᓄᕗᐊ
point of land
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panniq
ᐸᓐᓂᖅ
bull caribou
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qamaniq
ᖃᒪᓂᖅ
place where a river widens
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qikiqtaq
ᕿᑭᖅᑕᖅ
island
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qurlurniq
ᖁᕐᓗᕐᓂᖅ
waterfall
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taluq
ᑕᓗᖅ
caribou blind
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tariuq
ᑕᕆᐅᖅ
sea
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tasiarjuk
ᑕᓯᐊᕐᔪᒃ
pond
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tasiq
ᑕᓯᖅ
lake
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tasiujaq
ᑕᓯᐅᔭᖅ
bay
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tikiq
ᑎᑭᖅ
index finger
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umimmak
ᐅᒥᒻᒪᒃ
musk ox
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uqsuq
ᐅᖅᓱᖅ
oil; blubber
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Grammar
-jaqtuq- (affix)
This is a handy affix used to talk about going somewhere for a specific purpose. It has several forms depending on the last letter of the root it is attached to.
Following roots ending in vowels, use -jaqtuq-
niri- | to eat |
nirijaqtuqtunga | I am going (somewhere) to eat. |
katima- | to meet |
katimajaqtuqtugut | We are going to a meeting. |
Following roots ending in q, use -riaq-
ilinniaq- | to learn |
ilinniariaqtuq | she goes to school (literally, goes to learn) |
niuviq- | to shop |
niuviriaqtuq | she/he is going shopping |
pulaaq- | to visit |
Piitakkunnut pulaariaqtunga | I am going to visit at Piita's place. |
Following k, use -giaq-
sinik- | to sleep |
sinigiaqtut | They are going (somewhere) to sleep. |
in, to, from
Inuktitut has three handy affixes for describing where you are, where you are going, or where you are coming from. They follow a similar pattern.
-mit | from |
-mut | to |
-mi | at / in |
illumi |
in the house |
illumit |
from the house |
illumut | to the house |
tupiq + mi | tupirmi | in the tent |
...and they change all other final consonants to m:
kuuk + mit = | kuummit | from the river |
kuugalaammut | kuugalaanut |
to the creek | to the creeks |
tasirmit | tasirnit |
from the lake | from the lakes |
naqsarmi | naqsarni |
in the valley | in the valleys |
Namiippit? | nunasiummi |
Where are you? | in the car |
Namunngaqqit? | illuralaarmut |
Where are you going? | to the cabin |
Nakingaaqqit? | kinngarnit |
Where are you coming from? | from the mountains |
community names
There is a little trick in dealing with the names of communities, in that several are considered plural, instead of singular:
Singluar | Plural |
Sanikiluaq | Iqaluit |
Kimmirut | Kinngait |
Qamanittuaq | Naujaat |
Uqsuqtuuq | Arviat |
Qurluqtuq | Salliit |
This affects what affix we can use with them. For the singular place names, we use -mi, -mut, & -mit. For the plural place names we have to use -ni, -nut, & -nit.
Namiippit? | Sanikiluarmi | Iqalunni |
Namuungaqqit? | Ikpiarjummut | Sallirnut |
Nakingaaqqit? | Uqsuqtuurmit | Kinngarnit |
The verbs-munngau- and -miit- also follows this pattern:
singular | plural |
Uqsuqtuurmuuqtunga | Naujaanuuqtunga |
I am going to Gjoa Haven. | I am going to Repulse Bay. |
Iqaluktuuttiarmiittuq | Kinngarniittuq |
She is in Cambridge Bay. | She is in Cape Dorset. |
When using the plural endings (-ni, -nut, & -nit) remember to tack them on to the singular form of the noun:
Iqaluit | iqaluk | Iqalunni |
fishes | fish | In Iqaluit |
Salliit | salliq | Sallirni |
flat islands |
flat island |
in Coral Harbour |