Inuktitut | |
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Eastern Canadian Inuktitut | |
ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ | |
Distribution of Inuit languages across the Arctic. East Inuktitut dialects are those east of Hudson Bay, here coloured dark blue (on the south of Baffin Island), red and pink, and the brown in NW Greenland.
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Native to | Canada |
Region | Northwest Territories, Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland and Labrador), Nunavik (Quebec), Nunavut |
Native speakers
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34,000 (2011 census) 36,000 together with Inuvialuktun (2006) |
Dialects |
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Inuktitut syllabics, Inuktitut Braille, Latin | |
Official status | |
Official language in
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Nunavut Northwest Territories |
Recognised minority
language in |
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Regulated by | Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and various other local institutions. |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | iu |
ISO 639-2 |
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ISO 639-3 |
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Glottolog | east2534 |
Inuktitut (English pronunciation: /ɪˈnʊktᵻtʊt/; Inuktitut [inuktiˈtut], syllabics ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ; from inuk person + -titut like, in the manner of), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuit, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, to some extent in northeastern Manitoba as well as the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is one of the aboriginal languages written with Canadian Aboriginal syllabics.
It is recognised as an official language in Nunavut alongside Inuinnaqtun, and both languages are known collectively as Inuktut. It also has legal recognition in Nunavik—a part of Quebec—thanks in part to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and is recognised in the Charter of the French Language as the official language of instruction for Inuit school districts there. It also has some recognition in Nunatsiavut—the Inuit area in Labrador—following the ratification of its agreement with the government of Canada and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canadian census reports that there are roughly 35,000 Inuktitut speakers in Canada, including roughly 200 who live regularly outside of traditionally Inuit lands.