Iņupiatun Eskimo Dictionary - SIL International

2. Verbs are entered by adding a hyphen, for example aaq- ‘to raise one’s head’. A ‘vi’ or ‘vt’
follows the entry, which informs the user that a particular verb stem is either intransitive
(without object) or transitive (with object). Every entry with a hyphen is automatically a verb.
(I have followed other dictionaries in this convention.) The hyphen indicates that this entry is
not a full word, but that an inflectional suffix is needed to complete the word.
3. All verb definitions start out with ‘to …’, which is the traditional way to designate an action in
a dictionary.
4. Many verbs have a definition ‘to be …’ and describe a state, for example maptu- ‘to be thick’.
Iñupiatun uses these stative verbs to fulfill the function of an adjective, with the correct
inflectional suffixes.
5. All enclitics show a hyphen before the letters of the enclitic, such as –guuq ‘it is said’
6. This dictionary lists words mainly for the NANA region. However, some words seem to be
specific to the coastal area of this region. These entries have a (C) for ‘coastal’ behind them.
These words are often very similar to the North Slope dialect in Barrow.
7. If an entry has more than one meaning, each is marked with a number.
Definitions
The English definitions in this dictionary have been carefully chosen to reflect the meaning of the
Iñupiatun word as well as possible. Many different speakers of the language have contributed to this
dictionary over many years. A user might find a definition that does not totally agree with his/her
understanding of the entry. Many other speakers have given their opinion about the meaning of the
words. It is possible that other (older) speakers had or have knowledge of the term that some of us do
not have anymore; it is equally possible that I (the editor) have misunderstood the meaning these older
speakers associated with the word. The user of this dictionary is encouraged to be tolerant with the
insight of other people, and learn another meaning of a word, if it differs from his/her own.
I have tried to add a sample sentence (or two) to the definition to show how the word is used.
Moreover, I have used variant: to show variations of the entry. Likewise, with Syn: I point to synonyms.
When there are other entries that are related in meaning, the term See: is used. For example, agga ‘across
there, moving/extended’ has two synonyms ikka (itcha) and akma. The user will find that these two
entries also inform about ‘across there’ but with a different focus. The user is also encouraged to See:
aani, auäa, aakäa, and auna. Each of these terms relates back to agga, but with a post-positional case
ending. The user will find subentries to each term under each of these entries, which are extensions of
the entries. For example, under aakäa ‘from across there’ two subentries are listed: aakäaq- ‘to come
from across there’ and aakäauti- ‘to bring from across there (focus:goal)’.
The best way to use the dictionary is to experiment with it. I encourage you, the user, to look up an
entry and let yourself be guided through the wealth of words. You may learn about new things, you may
learn new meanings for a word that you thought you knew, or you may simply be happy that you were
confirmed in your understanding of the word.
Abbreviations in the Dictionary
abl ablative case (location from where, or comparison [i.e. ‘bigger than …’])
adj adjective (a modifier of a noun or pronoun)
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