Iņupiatun Eskimo Dictionary - SIL International

The examples above also show inflectional endings (or suffixes). These are grouped in charts,
showing possession or position for nouns, and showing transitive and intransitive endings for verbs
(see Appendix 2). All nouns fall into seven classes (see Appendix 7). If a noun functions in
the subject/topic position, it must display the marker -(ä)(u)m, the ending (suffix) for the relative/
ergative case. All charts show the relative/ergative either as –m or as –um. The additional –ä is needed
when this ending attaches to a foreign name. For example, the whole ending is needed when adding it to
a name ending in a consonant that does not normally end a word in Iñupiatun, such as Judas-äum.
The second group of Iñupiatun words is labeled “inflective” because they are inflected in various
ways, but they cannot be expanded. This group includes personal pronouns, which are used for emphasis
mainly, also all demonstrative pronouns. See Appendix 8 and 10.
The last group of Iñupiatun words is non-inflective. Interjections and conjunctions, for example,
cannot be inflected. This group also includes enclitics. These particles are often added to a word, which
usually translates into an entire English sentence. The first of the four example of Iñupiatun sentences
above includes the enclitic -guuq ‘it is said’. Another such enclitic is -lu ‘and’ in the example Matulig-lu
aniqatni-áu iñuuniaàuuruask Qikiqtaàruämi ‘Matulik and her brother used to live in Kotzebue’. Notice
that the -lu is added to the name and the following noun. A number of these enclitics are listed in the
lexicon. Another enclitic is –suli ‘still, yet’ in the sample, Niàiuktuksrauvisa-suli atlamik? ‘Should we
wait for another one?’
DICTIONARY FORMAT
Iñupiatun words are listed in alphabetical order, with homonyms listed separately and given numbers.
The Standard English order of alphabetization is followed, except that digraphs such as /ch/ and /sr/ are
alphabetized as if the letters were single writing symbols. The order of the Iñupiatun alphabet is: a, ch,
g, à, h, i, k, l, á, â, ã, m, n, ñ, ä, p, q, r, s, sr, t, u, v, and y.
Iñupiatun entries consist of stems. For example, iàñq is a root for the stem iàñiq ‘son’; a vowel is
inserted to change the root into an acceptable stem. A stem can be expanded by a postbase. For example,
the stem saluma- ‘to be clean’ can be expanded by the postbase –it- ‘to be/have not’; the resulting new
stem carries its own meaning, salumait- ‘to be dirty’. Derived words, on the other hand, are listed as
subentries and are indented under the word from which it is derived. The stem of the demonstrative
adverb piñña ‘in backward direction’ can be modified by positional case endings. For example, piñuäa
‘toward back there’ (more variations on these demonstrative adverbs in charts in Appendix 10). I used
only one degree of indentation to show derivation in this dictionary, for example piñuäaq- vi. to go
toward back there’ (focus: actor) and piñuäauti- vt. ‘to take toward back there’ (focus: goal).
Conventions
A main entry in this dictionary is printed in bold and larger type than the English definitions. Entries differ
from each other:
1. Nouns are entered without addition, for example aapa ‘father’. After the main entry, an ‘n’
designates this entry as a noun.
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