Inupiaq | |
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Iñupiatun, Inupiatun, Inupiaqtun | |
Native to | United States, formerly Russia; Northwest Territories of Canada |
Region | Alaska; formerly Big Diomede Island |
Ethnicity | Inupiat |
Native speakers
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2,000 (2006–2010) |
Eskimo–Aleut
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Latin (Iñupiaq alphabet) Iñupiaq Braille |
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Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | ik |
ISO 639-2 |
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ISO 639-3 |
– inclusive codeIndividual codes: esi – North Alaskan Inupiatun esk – Northwest Alaska Inupiatun |
Glottolog | inup1234 |
Inuit dialects. Inupiat dialects are orange (Northern Alaskan) and pink (Seward Peninsula).
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Inupiat /ɪˈnuːpiæt/, Inupiaq /ɪˈnuːpiæk/, or Alaskan Inuit, is a group of dialects of the Inuit languages, spoken by the Inupiat people in northern and northwestern Alaska, and part of the Northwest Territories. The Inupiat language is a member of the Inuit-Yupik-Unangan language family, and is closely related to Inuit languages of Canada and Greenland. There are roughly 2,000 speakers. Inupiaq is an official language of the State of Alaska.
The name is also rendered as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq,Inyupiat,Inyupeat,Inyupik, and Inupik.
The main varieties of the Inupiaq language are Northern Alaskan Inupiaq and Seward Peninsula Inupiaq.
The Inupiaq language has been in decline since contact with English in the late 19th century. American colonization and the legacy of boarding schools have created a situation today where a small minority of Inupiat speak the Inupiaq language. There is, however, revitalization work underway today in several communities.
The Inupiaq language is an Inuit-Yupik-Unangan language, also known as Eskimo-Aleut, has been spoken in the northern regions of Alaska for as many as 5,000 years. Between 1,000 and 800 years ago, Inuit peoples migrated east from Alaska to Canada and Greenland, eventually occupying the entire Arctic coast and much of the surrounding inland areas. The Inupiaq dialects are the most conservative forms of the Inuit language, with less linguistic change than the other Inuit languages.