Inuktitut syllabics

A bilingual stop sign in Nunavut displaying text in both Inuktitut syllabics and the English Latin alphabet. The Inuktitut Template:Lang transliterates as Template:Transliteration.<ref name="tusaalanga-qaniujaaqpait" />

Inuktitut syllabics (Template:Langx,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or Template:Lang, Template:Transliteration) is an abugida-type writing system used in Canada by the Inuktitut-speaking Inuit of the territory of Nunavut and the Nunavik region of Quebec. In 1976, the Language Commission of the Inuit Cultural Institute made it the co-official script for the Inuit languages, along with the Latin script.

The name Template:Transliteration Template:IPA derives from the root Template:Transliteration, meaning "mouth". The alternative, Latin-based writing system is named [[Inuit languages#Writing|Template:Transliteration]] (Template:Lang), and it derives from Template:Transliteration, a word describing the markings or the grain in rocks. Template:Transliteration Template:IPA meaning "new writing system" is to be seen in contrast to Template:Transliteration (Template:Lang), the "old syllabics" used before the reforms of 1976.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Inuktitut is one variation on Canadian Aboriginal syllabics, and can be digitally encoded using the Unicode standard. The Unicode block for Inuktitut characters is called Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics.Template:Citation needed

History

The first efforts to write Inuktitut came from Moravian missionaries in Greenland and Labrador in the mid-19th century using Latin script. The first book printed in Inuktitut using Cree script was an 8-page pamphlet known as Selections from the Gospels in the dialect of the Inuit of Little Whale River (Template:Lang, "Jesus' words"),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> printed by John Horden in 1855–56 at Moose Factory for Edwin Arthur Watkins to use among the Inuit at Fort George. In November 1865, Horden and Watkins met in London under Henry Venn's direction to adapt Cree syllabics to the Inuktitut language.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 1870s, Edmund Peck, another Anglican missionary, started printing according to that standard. Other missionaries, and later linguists in the employ of the Canadian and American governments, adapted the Latin alphabet to the dialects of the Mackenzie River delta, the western Arctic islands and Alaska.

Table

Template:More citations needed The Inuktitut script (Template:Transliteration) is commonly presented as a syllabary. The dots on the letters in the table mark long vowels; in the Latin transcription, the vowel is doubled.Template:Efn-ua For geminate consonants, the final consonant symbol is placed before the CV syllabic, for instance -kku-, -nnu- are rendered ᒃᑯ and ᓐᓄ respectively.

Note: An image of the chart is also available.

Inuktitut syllabary<ref name="tusaalanga-qaniujaaqpait">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nwt-ece">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Nobold

Vowel (IPA)											Final (no vowel)
Template:IPATemplate:Efn		Template:IPAslink			Template:IPAslink			Template:IPAslink
Short	Trans.	Short	Long	Trans.	Short	Long	Trans.	Short	Long	Trans.		Trans.	IPA
ᐁ	ai	ᐃ	ᐄ	i	ᐅ	ᐆ	u	ᐊ	ᐋ	a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a	Template:N/a
ᐯ	pai	ᐱ	ᐲ	pi	ᐳ	ᐴ	pu	ᐸ	ᐹ	pa	ᑉ	p	Template:IPAslink
ᑌ	tai	ᑎ	ᑏ	ti	ᑐ	ᑑ	tu	ᑕ	ᑖ	ta	ᑦ	t	Template:IPAslink
ᑫ	kai	ᑭ	ᑮ	ki	ᑯ	ᑰ	ku	ᑲ	ᑳ	ka	ᒃ	k	Template:IPAslink
ᕴ	hai	ᕵ	ᕶ	hi	ᕷ	ᕸ	hu	ᕹ	ᕺ	ha	ᕻ	hTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
ᒉ	gai	ᒋ	ᒌ	gi	ᒍ	ᒎ	gu	ᒐ	ᒑ	ga	ᒡ	g	Template:IPAslink - Template:IPAslink
ᒣ	mai	ᒥ	ᒦ	mi	ᒧ	ᒨ	mu	ᒪ	ᒫ	ma	ᒻ	m	Template:IPAslink
ᓀ	nai	ᓂ	ᓃ	ni	ᓄ	ᓅ	nu	ᓇ	ᓈ	na	ᓐ	n	Template:IPAslink
ᓭ	sai	ᓯ	ᓰ	si/hi	ᓱ	ᓲ	su/hu	ᓴ	ᓵ	sa/ha	ᔅ	s/hTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink - Template:IPAslink
		𑪶	𑪷	ši	𑪸	𑪹	šu	𑪺	𑪻	ša		šTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
		𑪰	𑪱	hi	𑪲	𑪳	hu	𑪴	𑪵	ha		hTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
ᓓ	lai	ᓕ	ᓖ	li	ᓗ	ᓘ	lu	ᓚ	ᓛ	la	ᓪ	l	Template:IPAslink
ᔦ	jai	ᔨ	ᔩ	ji	ᔪ	ᔫ	ju	ᔭ	ᔮ	ja	ᔾ	j	Template:IPAslink
ᑦᔦ	jjai	ᑦᔨ	ᑦᔩ	jji	ᑦᔪ	ᑦᔫ	jju	ᑦᔭ	ᑦᔮ	jja	ᑦᔾ	jj	Template:IPA
		ᖨ	ᖩ	ři	ᖪ	ᖫ	řu	ᖬ	ᖭ	řa	ᖮ	řTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
ᕓ	vai	ᕕ	ᕖ	vi	ᕗ	ᕘ	vu	ᕙ	ᕚ	va	ᕝ	v	Template:IPAslink
ᕂ	rai	ᕆ	ᕇ	ri	ᕈ	ᕉ	ru	ᕋ	ᕌ	ra	ᕐ	r	Template:IPAslink
ᙯ	qai	ᕿ	ᖀ	qi	ᖁ	ᖂ	qu	ᖃ	ᖄ	qa	ᖅ	q	Template:IPAslink
ᖅᑫ	qqai	ᖅᑭ	ᖅᑮ	qqi	ᖅᑯ	ᖅᑰ	qqu	ᖅᑲ	ᖅᑳ	qqa	ᖅᒃ	qqTemplate:Efn	Template:IPA
ᙰ	ngai	ᖏ	ᖐ	ngi	ᖑ	ᖒ	ngu	ᖓ	ᖔ	nga	ᖕTemplate:Efn	ngTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
		ᙱ	ᙲ	nngi	ᙳ	ᙴ	nngu	ᙵ	ᙶ	nnga	ᖖTemplate:Efn	nngTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn-ua	Template:IPA
		ᖠ	ᖡ	łi	ᖢ	ᖣ	łu	ᖤ	ᖥ	ła	ᖦ	łTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
											ᖯ	bTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
											ᕼTemplate:Efn-ua	hTemplate:Efn	Template:IPAslink
											ᑊ	ʼ	Template:IPAslink

Modifications

The Makivik Corporation expanded the official version of the script to restore the ai-pai-tai column. The common diphthong ai has generally been represented by combining the a form with a stand-alone letter ᐃ i.Template:Example needed This fourth-vowel variant had been removed so that Inuktitut could be typed and printed using IBM Selectric balls in the 1970s. The reinstatement was justified on the grounds that modern printing and typesetting equipment no longer suffers the restrictions of earlier typewriting machinery. The ai-pai-tai column is used only in Nunavik.

See also

• Inuit phonology
• Inuktitut Braille

Further reading

• Balt, Peter. Inuktitut Affixes. Rankin Inlet? N.W.T.: s.n, 1978.

External links

• Interactive syllabic chart with sound at Inuktut Tusâlanga
• Inuktitut script at Omniglot
• Inuktitut syllabics at Languagegeek
• Inuktitut Roman-Syllabics, Syllabics-Roman transliteration