Inupiaq is a macrolanguage which includes group of dialects belonging to the Aleut branch of the Eskimo-Aleut family of languages.
- More specifically, it belongs to the Inuit group of languages.
- The dialects can be classified as two main groups: Seward Peninsula Inupiaq and Northern Alaska Inupiaq.
Inupiaq has approximately 2,000 speakers.
- According to the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, Inupiaq is classified as a critically endangered language, the most severe classification before extinction.
Inupiaq is an official language in the State of Alaska.
Since contact with English in the 19th century, the Inupiaq language has gone into decline.
- American colonization and the infamous boarding schools has contributed greatly to this decline.
This video will help you get started with learning the alphabet:
For resources to learn the language, visit this page.
References
- Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. Paris, UNESCO Publishing. Online version: http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inupiaq_language
- Simons, Gary F. and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2017. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Twentieth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com
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