Page Type: languageInuinnaqtun | Ethnologue

IKT ISO 639-3

Inuinnaqtun

Inuinnaqtun, ᐃᓄᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓐ‎ (Inuvialuktun) Autonym

A language of Canada

ISO 639
ikt
Alternate Names
Western Canada Inuktun, Western Canadian Inuit, Western Canadian Inuktitut
Autonym
Inuinnaqtun, ᐃᓄᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓐ‎ (Inuvialuktun)
Population
1,020 (2016 census).
Location:
Northwest Territories: Beaufort sea, Mackensie river mouth east into Nunavut; Victoria Island area, Kugluktuk, Umingmatok, Bathurst Inlet, and Iquluktuuttraq communities, east to King William Island, and Boothian and Melville peninsula settlements; Hudson Bay northwest coast.
Language Status
2 (Provincial). Statutory provincial working language in NWT (1988, NWT Official Languages Act, Chapter 56 (Supplemented), Section 4), restricted official use. Language of recognized indigenous peoples: Inuvik Native.
Classification
Eskimo-Aleut, Eskimo, Inuit-Inupiaq
Dialects
Natsilingmiutut (Natsilik, Netsilik, Netsilik Inuit), Siglitun (Inuvialuktun, Kangiryuarmiut, Siglit, Siglit Inuvialuitt Eskimo), Inuinnaqtun. The names of the sub-dialects of Inuinnaqtun are: Kangiryuarmiutun, Coppermine, Bathurst, and Cambridge. The names of the sub-dialects of Natsilingmiutut are: Natsilik, Arviligjuaq, and Utkuhikhalik. A member of macrolanguage Inuktitut [iku].
Language Use
Vigorous in Caribou and Netsilik. In Commer and west, used by parent and grandparent generations (1995 M. Krauss). Also use English [eng]. Used as L2 by Inuit Sign Language [iks].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 25%–50%. Literacy rate in L2: 50%–75%. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1920–1979.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Inuinnaqtun
Writing
Latin script [Latn]. Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics script [Cans].

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Northwest Territories: Beaufort sea, Mackensie river mouth east into Nunavut; Victoria Island area, Kugluktuk, Umingmatok, Bathurst Inlet, and Iquluktuuttraq communities, east to King William Island, and Boothian and Melville peninsula settlements; Hudson Bay northwest coast.