A bilingual stop sign in Nunavut displaying text in both Inuktitut syllabics and the English Latin alphabet. The Inuktitut ᓄᖅᑲᕆᑦ transliterates as nuqqarit.
The name qaniujaaqpait[qaniujaːqpaˈit] derives from the root qaniq, meaning "mouth". The alternative, Latin-based writing system is named qaliujaaqpait (ᖃᓕᐅᔮᖅᐸᐃᑦ), and it derives from qaliit, a word describing the markings or the grain in rocks. Titirausiq nutaaq[titiʁauˈsiqnuˈtaːq] meaning "new writing system" is to be seen in contrast to titirausiit nutaunngittut (ᑎᑎᕋᐅᓰᑦ ᓄᑕᐅᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ), the "old syllabics" used before the reforms of 1976.[2]
History
The first efforts to write Inuktitut came from Moravian missionaries in Greenland and Labrador in the mid-19th century using Latin script. The first book printed in Inuktitut using Cree script was an 8-page pamphlet known as Selections from the Gospels in the dialect of the Inuit of Little Whale River (ᒋᓴᓯᑊ ᐅᑲᐤᓯᐣᑭᐟ, "Jesus' words"),[3] printed by John Horden in 1855–56 at Moose Factory for Edwin Arthur Watkins to use among the Inuit at Fort George. In November 1865, Horden and Watkins met in London under Henry Venn's direction to adapt Cree syllabics to the Inuktitut language.[4] In the 1870s, Edmund Peck, another Anglican missionary, started printing according to that standard. Other missionaries, and later linguists in the employ of the Canadian and American governments, adapted the Latin alphabet to the dialects of the Mackenzie River delta, the western Arctic islands and Alaska.
The consonant in the syllable can be g, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, ng, ł, or absent, and the vowel can be a, i, u, ai (now only in Nunavik), or absent.
Table
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023)
The Inuktitut script (titirausiq nutaaq) is commonly presented as a syllabary. The dots on the letters in the table mark long vowels; in the Latin transcription, the vowel is doubled. For geminate consonants, the final consonant symbol is placed before the CV syllabic, for instance -kku-, -nnu- are rendered ᒃᑯ and ᓐᓄ respectively.
ᖕ is a ᓐᒡ ligature in most areas but a ᓐᒃ ligature in Nunavik[5][6] (which may resemble 8)[citation needed]
These are generally romanized as ng, but in Natsilingmiutut as ŋ
ᖖ is a ᓐᓐᒡ ligature in most areas but either a ᓐᓐᒃ ligature or a doubled ᓐᒃ (ᓐᒃᓐᒃ) ligature in Nunavik[6] (which may resemble ᓐ8 or 88, respectively)[citation needed]
These are generally romanized as nng, but in Natsilingmiutut as ŋŋ
Found in North Qikiqtaaluk, Natsilingmiutut, Aivilingmiutut and Paallirmiutut; occasionally transcribed as &
Found in Aivilingmiutut
Found in Nunavut (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ)
Modifications
The Makivik Corporation expanded the official version of the script to restore the ai-pai-tai column. The common diphthongai has generally been represented by combining the a form with a stand-alone letter ᐃ i.[example needed] This fourth-vowel variant had been removed so that Inuktitut could be typed and printed using IBMSelectric balls in the 1970s. The reinstatement was justified on the grounds that modern printing and typesetting equipment no longer suffers the restrictions of earlier typewriting machinery. The ai-pai-tai column is used only in Nunavik.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Inuktitut_syllabics, and is written by contributors.
Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
