Iñupiaq language
Iñupiaq or Inupiaq (/ɪˈnuːpiæk/ i-NOO-pee-ak, Inupiaq: [iɲupiaq]), also known as Iñupiat, Inupiat (/ɪˈnuːpiæt/ i-NOO-pee-at), Iñupiatun or Alaskan Inuit, is an Inuit language, or perhaps group of languages, spoken by the Iñupiat people in northern and northwestern Alaska, as well as a small adjacent part of the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Iñupiat language is a member of the Inuit-Yupik-Unangan language family, and is closely related and, to varying degrees, mutually intelligible with other Inuit languages of Canada and Greenland. There are roughly 2,000 speakers. Iñupiaq is considered to be a threatened language, with most speakers at or above the age of 40. Iñupiaq is an official language of the State of Alaska, along with several other indigenous languages.
| Iñupiaq | |
|---|---|
| Uqausiq/Uqausriq Iñupiatun, Qanġuziq/Qaġnuziq/Qanġusiq Inupiatun | |
| Native to | United States, formerly Russia; Northwest Territories of Canada |
| Region | Alaska; formerly Big Diomede Island |
| Ethnicity | 20,709 Iñupiat (2015) |
Native speakers | 1,250 fully fluent speakers (2023) |
Early forms | |
| Latin (Iñupiaq alphabet) Iñupiaq Braille | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Alaska, Northwest Territories (as Uummarmiutun dialect) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ik |
| ISO 639-2 | ipk |
| ISO 639-3 | ipk – inclusive codeIndividual codes: esi – North Alaskan Iñupiatunesk – Northwest Alaska Iñupiatun |
| Glottolog | inup1234 |
| ELP | Inupiaq |
Iñupiaq dialects and speech communities | |
| iñuk / nuna "person" / "land" | |
|---|---|
| Person | Iñupiaq Dual: Iñupiak |
| People | Iñupiat |
| Language | Iñupiatun |
| Country | Iñupiat Nunaat |
The major varieties of the Iñupiaq language are the North Slope Iñupiaq and Seward Peninsula Iñupiaq dialects.
The Iñupiaq language has been in decline since contact with English in the late 19th century. American territorial acquisition and the legacy of boarding schools have created a situation today where a small minority of Iñupiat speak the Iñupiaq language. There is, however, revitalization work underway today in several communities.