Iņupiatun Eskimo Dictionary - SIL International

GENERAL INTRODUCTION
There are several Eskimo languages in Alaska. A major division exists between Yupik and Inuit.
Siberian Yupik is spoken on St. Lawrence Island and in Russian Far East, Central Yupik in southwestern
Alaska, and Alutiiq on Kodiak Island, the Kenai Peninsula and around Prince William Sound.
Inuit is spoken by people groups from Eastern Greenland to Northern Alaska. In Greenland, the
language is known as Kalaaâisut. The designations Inuvialuktun, Inuttut, and Inuktitut are used in
Canada. In Northern Alaska, the language is known as Iñupiatun.
Iñupiatun is comprised of four major dialects: Bering Strait, Qawairaq, Malemiut, and North Slope.
The people who live in the villages between Deering and Kivalina and between Kotzebue and Kobuk, in
the NANA region, speak the dialect called Malemiut. This dictionary covers mainly this Malemiut
dialect. There are subdialects in the region, which I have tried to incorporate without specifically
marking any of them. (The designation “Malemiut” is used in linguistic descriptions, and thus a
technical term.)
The map below shows the villages where Iñupiatun is spoken in Northern Alaska, including all
villages designated by number.
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