Eskimo-Aleut languages
Encyclopedia
Eskimo–Aleut is a language family
native to Alaska
, the Canadian Arctic
, Nunavik
, Nunatsiavut
, Greenland
, and the Chukchi Peninsula
on the eastern tip of Siberia
. It is also known as Eskaleut, Eskaleutian, Eskaleutic, Eskimish, Eskimoan, and Macro-Eskimo or Inuit–Unangan.
The Eskimo–Aleut language family is divided into two branches, the Eskimo languages and the Aleut language
.
The Aleut language family consists of a single language, Aleut, spoken in the Aleutian Islands and the Pribilof Islands
. Aleut is divided into several dialect
s.
The Eskimo languages are divided into two branches, the Yupik languages, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska and in easternmost Siberia, and the Inuit language
, spoken in northern Alaska, in Canada, and in Greenland. The Inuit language, which covers a huge range of territory, is divided into several dialects.
The proper place of one language, Sirenik, within the Eskimo family has not been settled. Some linguists list it as a branch of Yupik, others as a separate branch of the Eskimo family, alongside Yupik and Inuit.
It is thought that the common ancestral language of the Eskimo languages and of Aleut divided into the Eskimo and Aleut branches around 2000 BCE. The Eskimo language family divided into the Yupik and Inuit branches around 1000 CE.
The Eskimo–Aleut languages are among the native languages of the Americas
. This is a geographical category, not a linguistic
one. The Eskimo–Aleut languages are not demonstrably related to the other language families of North America
and are believed to represent a separate, and the last, prehistoric migration of peoples from Asia.
to any of the world's other language families that is generally accepted by linguists at the present time. There is general agreement that it is not closely related to the other language families of North America. The more credible proposals on the external relations of Eskimo–Aleut all concern one or more of the language families of northern Eurasia
, such as Chukchi–Kamchatkan just across the Bering Strait
. One of the first such proposals was made by the pioneering Danish linguist Rasmus Rask
in 1818, upon noticing similarities between Greenlandic Eskimo and Finnish
. Perhaps the most fully developed such proposal to date is Michael Fortescue
's Uralo-Siberian
hypothesis, published in 1998. More recently Joseph Greenberg
(2000–2002) suggested grouping Eskimo–Aleut with all of the language families of northern Eurasia, with the exception of Yeniseian
, in a proposed language family called Eurasiatic
. Such proposals are not generally accepted.
In the 1960s Swadesh
suggested a connection with the Wakashan languages
. This was picked up and expanded by Holst (2005).
and exclusively suffix
ing (with the exception of one prefix in Inuktitut which appears in demonstratives).
Every word must have only one root
(free morpheme) always at the beginning. Eskimo–Aleut languages have a relatively small number of roots – in the case of Central Alaskan Yup'ik around two thousand. Following the root are a number of postbases, which are bound morpheme
s that add to the basic meaning of the root. If the meaning of the postbase is to be expressed alone, a special neutral root (in the case of Central Alaskan Yup'ik and Inuktitut pi) is used.
Following the postbases are non-lexical suffixes that indicate case
on nouns and person
and mood
on verbs. The number of cases varies, with Aleut languages having a greatly reduced case system compared to Eskimo. The Eskimo languages are ergative–absolutive in nouns and in Yup'ik languages, also in verbal person marking. All Eskimo–Aleut languages have obligatory verbal agreement
with agent and patient in transitive
clauses, and there are special suffixes used for this purpose in subordinate clauses, which makes these languages, like most in the North Pacific, highly complement deranking
.
At the end of a word there can be one of a small number of clitic
s with meanings such as "but" or indicating a polar interrogative.
Phonologically, the Eskimo–Aleut languages resemble other languages of northern North America and far eastern Siberia. There are usually only three vowels, a, i and u, though some Yup'ik dialects also have ə. There are no ejectives
, but there are voiceless plosives at the bilabial
, coronal
, velar
and uvular
positions in all languages except Aleut, which has lost the bilabial stops but retained the nasal
. There are contrasting voiced
and voiceless
fricatives at the same positions, and in the Eskimo subfamily a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
is also present. A rare feature of many dialects of Yup'ik and Aleut is contrasting voiceless nasals.
Language family
A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, called the proto-language of that family. The term 'family' comes from the tree model of language origination in historical linguistics, which makes use of a metaphor comparing languages to people in a...
native to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, the Canadian Arctic
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
, Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
, Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut is an autonomous area claimed by the Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in Labrador extending to the Quebec border. In 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government of Newfoundland and...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and the Chukchi Peninsula
Chukchi Peninsula
The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula , at about 66° N 172° W, is the northeastern extremity of Asia. Its eastern end is at Cape Dezhnev near the village of Uelen. It is bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the north, the Bering Sea to the south, and the Bering Strait to the...
on the eastern tip of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. It is also known as Eskaleut, Eskaleutian, Eskaleutic, Eskimish, Eskimoan, and Macro-Eskimo or Inuit–Unangan.
The Eskimo–Aleut language family is divided into two branches, the Eskimo languages and the Aleut language
Aleut language
Aleut is a language of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. It is the heritage language of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Commander Islands. As of 2007 there were about 150 speakers of Aleut .- Dialects :Aleut is alone with the Eskimo languages in the...
.
The Aleut language family consists of a single language, Aleut, spoken in the Aleutian Islands and the Pribilof Islands
Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham. The Siberia coast is roughly northwest...
. Aleut is divided into several dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s.
The Eskimo languages are divided into two branches, the Yupik languages, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska and in easternmost Siberia, and the Inuit language
Inuit language
The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The related Yupik languages are spoken in western and southern Alaska and Russian Far East, particularly the Diomede Islands, but is severely endangered in Russia today and...
, spoken in northern Alaska, in Canada, and in Greenland. The Inuit language, which covers a huge range of territory, is divided into several dialects.
The proper place of one language, Sirenik, within the Eskimo family has not been settled. Some linguists list it as a branch of Yupik, others as a separate branch of the Eskimo family, alongside Yupik and Inuit.
It is thought that the common ancestral language of the Eskimo languages and of Aleut divided into the Eskimo and Aleut branches around 2000 BCE. The Eskimo language family divided into the Yupik and Inuit branches around 1000 CE.
The Eskimo–Aleut languages are among the native languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
. This is a geographical category, not a linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
one. The Eskimo–Aleut languages are not demonstrably related to the other language families of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and are believed to represent a separate, and the last, prehistoric migration of peoples from Asia.
Classification of the family
Eskimo–Aleut languages- AleutAleut languageAleut is a language of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. It is the heritage language of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Commander Islands. As of 2007 there were about 150 speakers of Aleut .- Dialects :Aleut is alone with the Eskimo languages in the...
- Western–Central dialects: Atkan, Attuan, Unangan, Bering (60–80 speakers)
- Eastern dialects: Unalaskan, Pribilof (400 speakers)
- Eskimo languages (or Yupik–Inuit languages)
- Yupik
- Central Alaskan Yup'ikCentral Alaskan Yup'ik languageCentral Alaskan Yup'ik or just Yup'ik is a Yupik language of the Eskimo language family, in turn a member of the Eskimo–Aleut language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska. Both in ethnic population and in number of speakers, Central Alaskan Yup'ik is the largest of the languages...
(10,000 speakers)- General Central Alaskan Yup’ik languageYugtunYugtun is a dialect of Central Alaskan Yup'ik spoken in Central Alaska. A syllabic script, now referred to as the Yugtun script, was invented in the early 1900s by Uyaquk to write the language....
(or Yugtun) - Chevak Cup’ikChevak Cup’ik languageChevak Cup’ik or just Cup’ik , Hooper Bay–Chevak Cup’ik language is a language or dialect of Central Alaskan Yup'ik spoken in Central Alaska in the Chevak and Hooper Bay by Chevak Cup’ik people...
(or Cugtun) - Nunivak Cup'igNunivak Cup'ig languageNunivak Cup'ig or just Cup'ig is a language or separate dialect of Central Alaskan Yup'ik spoken in Central Alaska at the Nunivak Island by Nunivak Cup'ig people...
(or Cugtun)
- General Central Alaskan Yup’ik language
- AlutiiqAlutiiq languageThe Alutiiq language is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language...
or Pacific Gulf Yupik (400 speakers) - Central Siberian YupikSiberian Yupik languageSiberian Yupik is one of the four Yupik languages:* Central Siberian Yupik,...
or Yuit (Chaplinon and St. Lawrence IslandSt. Lawrence IslandSt. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63°30' North 173°20' West. The village of Gambell is located on the northwest cape, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to...
, 1400 speakers)- NaukanNaukan languageNaukan Yupik language or Naukan Siberian Yupik language is an Eskimo language spoken by ca. 70 persons on Chukotka peninsula. It is one of the four Yupik languages, alongside with Central Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik and Pacific Gulf Yupik.Linguistically, it is intermediate between...
(70 speakers) - Chaplinski
- Naukan
- Sirenik (extinct) (viewed as an independent branch by some)
- Central Alaskan Yup'ik
- Inuit (98,000 speakers)
- InupiaqInupiaq languageThe Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100...
or Inupiat (northern Alaska, 3,500 speakers)- Qawiaraq (Seward PeninsulaSeward PeninsulaThe Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
)
- Qawiaraq (Seward Peninsula
- InuvialuktunInuvialuktunInuvialuktun, or Western Canadian Inuit language, Western Canadian Inuktitut, Western Canadian Inuktun comprises three Inuit dialects spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by those Canadian Inuit who call themselves Inuvialuk .Inuvialuktun is spoken by the Inuit of the Mackenzie River delta...
(western Canada, 765 speakers)- KangiryuarmiutunKangiryuarmiutunThe Kangiryuarmiut dialect, or Kangiryuarmiutun , is the name of the dialect of Inuit language spoken in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada by Kangiryuarmiut people of Copper Inuit. The dialect is part of the Inuvialuktun language...
(UlukhaktokUlukhaktok, Northwest TerritoriesUlukhaktok is a small hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The 2006 census indicated a population of 398 of which 360 were Inuvialuit or Inuit along with 7.5% non-Aboriginal and 2.5% North American Indian...
sometimes listed as Inuinnaqtun) - SiglitunSiglitunThe Siglit dialect, or Siglitun, is the dialect of Inuvialuk language spoken by the Siglit Inuit. It is mainly used in the communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk...
(PaulatukPaulatuk, Northwest TerritoriesPaulatuk is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located adjacent to Darnley Bay, in the Amundsen Gulf...
, Sachs HarbourSachs Harbour, Northwest TerritoriesSachs Harbour is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Situated on the southwestern coast of Banks Island in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the population according to the 2006 census count was 122 people. The two principal languages in the town are...
, Tuktoyaktuk) - UummarmiutunUummarmiutunUummarmiutun or Canadian Iñupiaq is the variant of Iñupiaq spoken by the Uummarmiut, part of the Inuvialuit, who live mainly in the communities of Inuvik and Aklavik in the Northwest Territories of Canada....
(AklavikAklavik, Northwest TerritoriesAklavik is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, the community served as the regional administrative centre for the territorial government...
, InuvikInuvik, Northwest TerritoriesInuvik is a town in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the administrative centre for the Inuvik Region.The population as of the 2006 Census was 3,484, but the two previous census counts show wide fluctuations due to economic conditions: 2,894 in 2001 and 3,296 in 1996...
from Inupiaq)
- Kangiryuarmiutun
- InuktitutInuktitutInuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
(eastern Canada; together with InuktunInuktunInuktun is the language of approximately 1000 indigenous Inughuit, inhabiting the world's northernmost settlements in Qaanaaq and the surrounding villages in northwestern Greenland. All speakers of Inuktun also speak Standard West Greenlandic and many also speak Danish and a few also English...
and InuinnaqtunInuinnaqtunInuinnaqtun , is an indigenous Inuit language of Canada and a dialect of Inuvialuktun. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut...
, 40,000 speakers)- NunatsiavummiututNunatsiavummiututThe Nunatsiavummiut dialect, or Nunatsiavummiutut, also known as Labradorimiutut and called Inuttut by its speakers, is a dialect of the Inuit language...
(Nunatsiavut, 550 speakers) - Inuttitut (Nunavik)
- Nunatsiavummiutut
- Kalaallisut (Greenland, 54,000 speakers)
- InuktunInuktunInuktun is the language of approximately 1000 indigenous Inughuit, inhabiting the world's northernmost settlements in Qaanaaq and the surrounding villages in northwestern Greenland. All speakers of Inuktun also speak Standard West Greenlandic and many also speak Danish and a few also English...
(Avanersuarmiutut) - East Greenlandic (Tunumiit oraasiat)
- Inuktun
- Inupiaq
- Yupik
Position among the world's language families
Eskimo–Aleut does not have any genetic relationshipGenetic relationship (linguistics)
In linguistics, genetic relationship is the usual term for the relationship which exists between languages that are members of the same language family. The term genealogical relationship is sometimes used to avoid confusion with the unrelated use of the term in biological genetics...
to any of the world's other language families that is generally accepted by linguists at the present time. There is general agreement that it is not closely related to the other language families of North America. The more credible proposals on the external relations of Eskimo–Aleut all concern one or more of the language families of northern Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, such as Chukchi–Kamchatkan just across the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
. One of the first such proposals was made by the pioneering Danish linguist Rasmus Rask
Rasmus Christian Rask
Rasmus Rask was a Danish scholar and philologist.-Biography:...
in 1818, upon noticing similarities between Greenlandic Eskimo and Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. Perhaps the most fully developed such proposal to date is Michael Fortescue
Michael Fortescue
Michael David Fortescue is a British-born linguist specializing in Arctic and native North American languages, including Kalaallisut, Inuktun, Chukchi and Nitinaht. He is professor of General Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen and chairman of the Linguistic Circle of Copenhagen...
's Uralo-Siberian
Uralo-Siberian languages
Uralo-Siberian is a hypothetical language family consisting of Uralic, Yukaghir, Chukotko-Kamchatkan and Eskimo–Aleut. It was proposed in 1998 by Michael Fortescue, an expert in Eskimo–Aleut and Chukotko-Kamchatkan, in his book Language Relations across Bering Strait...
hypothesis, published in 1998. More recently Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :...
(2000–2002) suggested grouping Eskimo–Aleut with all of the language families of northern Eurasia, with the exception of Yeniseian
Yeniseian languages
The Yeniseian language family is spoken in central Siberia.-Family division:0. Proto-Yeniseian...
, in a proposed language family called Eurasiatic
Eurasiatic languages
Eurasiatic is a language macrofamily proposed by Joseph Greenberg that includes many language families historically spoken in northern Eurasia. The eight branches of Eurasiatic are Etruscan, Indo-European, Uralic–Yukaghir, Altaic, Korean-Japanese-Ainu, Gilyak, Chukotian, and Eskimo–Aleut, spoken in...
. Such proposals are not generally accepted.
In the 1960s Swadesh
Morris Swadesh
Morris Swadesh was an influential and controversial American linguist. In his work, he applied basic concepts in historical linguistics to the Indigenous languages of the Americas...
suggested a connection with the Wakashan languages
Wakashan languages
Wakashan is a family of languages spoken in British Columbia around and on Vancouver Island, and in the northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca....
. This was picked up and expanded by Holst (2005).
Notable features
The Eskimo–Aleut languages are affixally polysyntheticPolysynthetic language
In linguistic typology, polysynthetic languages are highly synthetic languages, i.e., languages in which words are composed of many morphemes. Whereas isolating languages have a low morpheme-to-word ratio, polysynthetic languages have extremely high morpheme-to-word ratios.Not all languages can be...
and exclusively suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
ing (with the exception of one prefix in Inuktitut which appears in demonstratives).
Every word must have only one root
Root (linguistics)
The root word is the primary lexical unit of a word, and of a word family , which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents....
(free morpheme) always at the beginning. Eskimo–Aleut languages have a relatively small number of roots – in the case of Central Alaskan Yup'ik around two thousand. Following the root are a number of postbases, which are bound morpheme
Bound morpheme
In morphology, a bound morpheme is a morpheme that only appears as part of a larger word; a free morpheme is one that can stand alone.Affixes are always bound. English language affixes are either prefixes or suffixes. E.g., -ment in "shipment" and pre- in "prefix"...
s that add to the basic meaning of the root. If the meaning of the postbase is to be expressed alone, a special neutral root (in the case of Central Alaskan Yup'ik and Inuktitut pi) is used.
Following the postbases are non-lexical suffixes that indicate case
Grammatical case
In grammar, the case of a noun or pronoun is an inflectional form that indicates its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, a pronoun may play the role of subject , of direct object , or of possessor...
on nouns and person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
and mood
Grammatical mood
In linguistics, grammatical mood is a grammatical feature of verbs, used to signal modality. That is, it is the use of verbal inflections that allow speakers to express their attitude toward what they are saying...
on verbs. The number of cases varies, with Aleut languages having a greatly reduced case system compared to Eskimo. The Eskimo languages are ergative–absolutive in nouns and in Yup'ik languages, also in verbal person marking. All Eskimo–Aleut languages have obligatory verbal agreement
Polypersonal agreement
In linguistics, polypersonal agreement or polypersonalism is the agreement of a verb with more than one of its arguments...
with agent and patient in transitive
Transitivity (grammatical category)
In linguistics, transitivity is a property of verbs that relates to whether a verb can take direct objects and how many such objects a verb can take...
clauses, and there are special suffixes used for this purpose in subordinate clauses, which makes these languages, like most in the North Pacific, highly complement deranking
Balancing and deranking
In linguistics, balancing and deranking are terms used to describe the form of verbs used in various types of subordinate clauses and also sometimes in co-ordinate constructions....
.
At the end of a word there can be one of a small number of clitic
Clitic
In morphology and syntax, a clitic is a morpheme that is grammatically independent, but phonologically dependent on another word or phrase. It is pronounced like an affix, but works at the phrase level...
s with meanings such as "but" or indicating a polar interrogative.
Phonologically, the Eskimo–Aleut languages resemble other languages of northern North America and far eastern Siberia. There are usually only three vowels, a, i and u, though some Yup'ik dialects also have ə. There are no ejectives
Ejective consonant
In phonetics, ejective consonants are voiceless consonants that are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis. In the phonology of a particular language, ejectives may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants...
, but there are voiceless plosives at the bilabial
Bilabial consonant
In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:...
, coronal
Coronal consonant
Coronal consonants are consonants articulated with the flexible front part of the tongue. Only the coronal consonants can be divided into apical , laminal , domed , or subapical , as well as a few rarer orientations, because only the front of the tongue has such...
, velar
Velar consonant
Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum)....
and uvular
Uvular consonant
Uvulars are consonants articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula, that is, further back in the mouth than velar consonants. Uvulars may be plosives, fricatives, nasal stops, trills, or approximants, though the IPA does not provide a separate symbol for the approximant, and...
positions in all languages except Aleut, which has lost the bilabial stops but retained the nasal
Bilabial nasal
The bilabial nasal is a type of consonantal sound used in almost all spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is m...
. There are contrasting voiced
VOICED
Virtual Organization for Innovative Conceptual Engineering Design is a virtual organization that promotes innovation in engineering design. This project is the collaborative work of researchers at five universities across the United States, and is funded by the National Science Foundation...
and voiceless
Voiceless
In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of...
fricatives at the same positions, and in the Eskimo subfamily a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
Voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
The voiceless alveolar lateral fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar fricatives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is K...
is also present. A rare feature of many dialects of Yup'ik and Aleut is contrasting voiceless nasals.
Vocabulary comparison
The following is a brief comparison of cognates among the basic vocabulary across the Eskimo–Aleut language family (about 60 words). Note that empty cells do not imply that a particular language is lacking a word to describe the concept, but rather that the word for the concept in that language is formed from another stem and is not a cognate with the other words in the row. Also, there may be shifts in the meaning from one language to another, and so the "common meaning" given is only approximate. In some cases the form given is found only in some dialects of the language. Forms are given in native Latin orthographies unless otherwise noted.| common meaning | Aleut Aleut language Aleut is a language of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. It is the heritage language of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Commander Islands. As of 2007 there were about 150 speakers of Aleut .- Dialects :Aleut is alone with the Eskimo languages in the... |
Proto-Eskimo Proto-Eskimo language Proto-Eskimo was the ancestor of all the Eskimo languages. A reconstruction of the Proto-Eskimo sound system can be found in Fortescue et al. 1994:xi.- References :... |
Sirenik | Siberian Yupik Siberian Yupik language Siberian Yupik is one of the four Yupik languages:* Central Siberian Yupik,... |
Alutiiq Alutiiq language The Alutiiq language is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language... |
Yup'ik Central Alaskan Yup'ik language Central Alaskan Yup'ik or just Yup'ik is a Yupik language of the Eskimo language family, in turn a member of the Eskimo–Aleut language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska. Both in ethnic population and in number of speakers, Central Alaskan Yup'ik is the largest of the languages... |
Seward Inupiaq Inupiaq language The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100... |
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North Slope Inupiaq language The Inupiat language, also known as Inupiatun, Inupiaq, Iñupiaq, Inyupiaq, Inyupiat, Inyupeat, Inyupik, and Inupik, is a group of dialects of the Inuit language, spoken in northern and northwestern Alaska. The Iñupiaq language is a member of the Eskimo languages group. There are roughly 2,100... |
Uummarmiutun Uummarmiutun Uummarmiutun or Canadian Iñupiaq is the variant of Iñupiaq spoken by the Uummarmiut, part of the Inuvialuit, who live mainly in the communities of Inuvik and Aklavik in the Northwest Territories of Canada.... |
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Natsilik | Kivalliq | Aivilik | North Baffin | South Baffin | Nunavik | Labrador Inuttut Nunatsiavummiutut The Nunatsiavummiut dialect, or Nunatsiavummiutut, also known as Labradorimiutut and called Inuttut by its speakers, is a dialect of the Inuit language... |
North Greenlandic Inuktun Inuktun is the language of approximately 1000 indigenous Inughuit, inhabiting the world's northernmost settlements in Qaanaaq and the surrounding villages in northwestern Greenland. All speakers of Inuktun also speak Standard West Greenlandic and many also speak Danish and a few also English... |
West Greenlandic | East Greenlandic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Human being (Shaman word's) | taĝu | taʁu | tarex | taghu | taru | taru | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | tau | taa | taa | |
| (Grand)father | adax̂/taatax̂ | *ata *ata-ata | ata | ata | ata | aata | ata/ava | ata/ava | aapa/taata | aapa | aapa/ata | aappak/ataatak | aappak | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataata | ataataq | alaala | |
| Mother | anax̂ | *ana *ana-ana | nana | naa/ana | aana | aana | aaga | aaga | aaka | aaka | aaka | amaamak/aana | amaamak/anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaana | anaanaq | annivik | |
| Son | *iʁni-ʁ | irnex | ighneq | irneq | irneq | irniq | irniq | irñiq | irñiq | irñiq | irniq | irniq | irniq | irniq | irniq | irniq | irniq | irniq | innik | irniq | erneq | irniq | ||
| Daughter | *paniɣ | panex | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | panik | ||
| Older brother (of female) | huyux̂ | *aNǝ-LГun | anta | aningak | anngaq | anngaq | ani | ani | ani | ani | ani | aniraaluk | ani | ani | ani | ani | ani | ani | ani | anik | ani | ani | ani | |
| Older sister (of male) | uhngix | *aleqa | nuskit | alqaq | aɫqaq | aliraq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqaq | aliqannaq | angajuk | angajuk | angajuk | aliqa | aleqaq | alara | |
| Young brother (of female) | kingii | *nukaq | ungjex | uyughaq | uyuwaq | uyuraq | nukaq | nukaq | nukaaluk | nukaaluk | nukaq | nukaq | nukaq | nukaq | mukaq | nukaq | nukaq | nukaq | nukaq | nukak | nukaq | nukaq | nukaq | |
| Young sister (of male) | uhngix | *nayak | najex | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | nayak | najak | najak | najak | najak | najaatsuk | najak | najak | najak | |
| Husband | ugi | *uɣi | uga | ugwik | wik | wii | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | ui | uik | ui | ui | uviq | |
| Wife | ayagax̂ | *nuLiaq | nucix | nuliiq | nuliq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliak | nuliaq | nuliaq | nuliaq | |
| Family/Relative | ilaanux̂ | *ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | ila | |
| Man | tayaĝux̂ | *aŋu-nt | angeta | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angun | angut | angut | angut | anguti | anguti | anguti | angutik | angut | angut | tikkaq | |
| Woman | ayaĝax̂ | *aʁnaq | arnax | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | arnaq | annak | arnaq | arnaq | nuliakkaaq | |
| Boy | hlax | *aleqa | nukeɫpegaẋ | nukaɫpegaq | nukaɫpiaq | nukaɫpiaq | nugatpiaq | nugatpiaq | nukatpiaq | nukatpiaq | nukatpiaq | nukatpiraq | nukatpiaq | nukatpiaq | nukatpiaq | nukappiaq | nukappiaq | nukappiaq | nukappiaq | nukappiak | nukappiaq | nukappiraq | nugappiaq | |
| Girl | ayaĝaadax̂ | *nǝvi(a)ʁc(ǝɣ)a- | náẋserráẋ | neveghsaq | neviarcaq | niaqsaaʁruk | niaqsiaʁruk | niviaqsiaʁruk | niviaqsiaʁruk | niviakkaq | niviaqsiraq | niviaqhiaq | niviaqhiaq | niviakkiaq | niviaqsiaq | niviaqsaaq | niviaqsiaq | niviatsiaq | niviatsiak | niviarhiaq | niviarsiaraq | niiarsiaq | ||
| Person | anĝaĝinax̂ | *inguɣ | jux | yuk | suk | yuk/cuk | inuk | inuk | iñuk | iñuk | iñuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | inuk | iik | |
| Mother-in-law | *caki | saka | saki | caki | cakiq | sagi | chagi | saki | saki | hakigaq | saki | haki | haki | hakigaq | saki | saki | saki | saki | sakik | haki | saki | saqiq/sagiq | ||
| Personal pronouns | I or me (singular) | ting | *vi | menga | hwanga | w'iinga | w'iinga | wanga | uanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvanga | uvaqa | uvak | uanga | uanga | uara |
| all of two us (two) (dual) | tingix | *vik | hwagakuk | w'iingakuk | w'iingakuk | waguk | uaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | uvaguk | |||||
| we or us/all of us (plural) | tingin(s) | *vit | mengaketa | hwagakuta | w'iingakuta | w'iingakuta | wagut | uagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uvagut | uagut | uagut | uangit | |
| you (singular) | txin | *ǝɫ-vǝn-t | ɫpi | ɫpet | eɫpet | eɫpet | ivlin | ilvin | ilvich | ilvich | ilvik | ilvit | ilvit | ivrit/itvin | igvin/idvin | igvit | ivvit | ivvit | ivvit | iffit | ihhit/i'lit | iɫɫit | ittit | |
| you two (dual) | txidix | *ǝɫ-ptek | ɫpetek | eɫpetek | eɫpetek | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | iliptik | ilissik | ilittik | ilittik | ilittik | |||||
| yourselves/all of you (plural) | txichix | *ǝɫ-vcet | ɫpisi | ɫpesi | eɫpici | eɫpeci | ilipsi | ilipsi | ilivsi | ilivsi | iliffi | ilipsi | iliffi | iliphi | iliphi | ilipsi | ilissi | ilitsi | ilitsi | ilitsi | ilissi | ilissi | ilitsi | |
| he/she/it | ilaa/uda | *ǝɫ-ŋa *una | langa/una | lnga/una | elen/una | elii/una | ilaa/una | ilaa/una | ilaa/una | ilaa/una | ilaa/una | ilaa/una | una | una | una | una | una | una | una | una | una | una | una | |
| thyself/themselves/itself | ilaan(s)/udan(s) | *ǝɫ-ŋat *ukuat | langwi/uket | lngit/ukut | elita/ukut | eliita/ukut | ilaat/ugua | ilaat/ugua | ilaat/ukua | ilaat/ukua | ilaat/ukua | ilaat/ukua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ukua/ukkua | ugua/ukkua | |
| I, me (affixes) | -kuq | *tua *kuq | -jua | -tua | -tua | -tua, -runga | -runga | -runga | -runga | -runga | -yunga, -yuami | -yunga | -yunga | -runga | -yunga | -junga | -junga | -junga | -junga | -junga | -junga | -punga,sunga | -pua, lua | |
| you (affixes) | -kuxt | *it | -jet | -ten | -ten | -ten | -rutin | -rutin | -rutin | -rutin | -rutin | -yutin | -yutin | -rutit | -yutit | -jutit | -jutit | -jutit | -jutit | -jutit | -hutit | -sutit | -sulit | |
| he/she/it (affixes) | -kux | *tuq | -jix | -tuq | -tuq | -tuq | -ruq | -ruq | -ruq | -ruq | -ruq | -yuaq | -yuq | -ruq | -yuq | -yuq | -juq | -juq | -juq | -juk | -huq | -soq, poq | -tuq, puq | |
| my (affixes) | -ng | *nga | -ka/qa | -ka/qa | -ka/qa | -ka/qa | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -ga | -ga/ra | -ga/ra | -nga/ra | |
| your (affixes) | -n | *in | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -n | -t | -t | -t | -t | -it | -it | -it | -it | -t | -t | -t | |
| his/her/its (affixes) | -(n)gan | *ngan | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | -nga/a | |
| he/she...her/him/it | -kuu/qaa | *jaa/kaa | -jaa/kaa | -taa/kaa | -taa/kaa | -taa/kaa | -raa/gaa | -raa/gaa | -raa/gaa | -raa/gaa | -yaa/gaa | -yaa/gaa | -raa/gaa | -yaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -jaa/gaa | -saa/gaa | -laa/ngaa | |
| Who (Interrogate) | kiin | *kina | kiin | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kina | kia | |
| What (Interrogate) | alqux | *caŋu | sangǝ̄́ca | sangwa/suna | cacaq | cacaq/tcauna | suna | sua | sua | suna/suva | huna | suna | huna | huna | huna | suna | kisu | suna | suna | suna | kihu | suna/sua | kisik | |
| Why (Interrogate) | alqul(-usaal) | *caŋu | sangaami | sangami | cin/caluni | ciin/caluni | suami | suami | summan/suvataa | summan/suvataa | huuq | suuq | huuq | huuq | huuq | suuq | suuq | sungmat | sumut | summat | huuq | suuq | suuq | |
| Where (Interrogate) | qaataa | *nani | nani | nani/naa/sami | nama/nani | nani/cami | naung/nani | naunga/nani | sumi/nani/naung | sumi/nani/naung | humi/nani/nau | sumi/nani/naung | humi/nani/naung | humi/naung | nani/naung | sumi/nauk | nani/nauk | nami/nani | nami/nani | nami/nani | humi | sumi | sumi | |
| When (Past/future) (Interrogate) | qanaayam | *qanga/qaku | qanga/qaku | qavnga/kaku | qangwaq/qaku | qangvaq/qaku | qanga/qagun | qanga/qagu | qaglaan/qaku | qanga/qaku | qanga/qaku | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qakugu | kanga/kakugu | qanga/qakugu | qanga/qaqugu | qanga/qara | |
| How (Interrogate) | alqutal | *qanuq | qanex | qayuq | qayuq | qayuq/cangstun | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | qanuq | kanuk | qanuq | qanoq | qaniq | |
| Body parts | Chin | tsamlu | *tsamlu | tamla | tamlu | tamluq | tamlu | tavlu | tavluq | tavlu | tavlu | tavlu | tablu | tablu | tablu | tablu | tablu | tallu | tallu | tallu | talluk | taddu | taɫɫu | tattuq |
| Heart | kanuux̂ | *uŋ-uma- | ungevata | unguvan | unguwan | unguvan | uumman | uumman | uumman | uumman | uumman | uumman | uumman | uummat | uummat | uummat | uummati | uummati | uummati | uummatik | uummat | uummat | iimmat | |
| Blood | aamaaxs | *aruɣ | acex/arux | awk | auk | auk | awk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | auk | aak | aak | |
| Head | kamĝix̂ | *ńarǝ-qu- | iiceqeẋ | naasquq/nayquq | nasquq | nacquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niaquq | niakuk | niaquq | niaqoq | suuniq | |
| Hair | iimlix | *ńujaq | nujǝẋ/jujǝẋ | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nuyaq | nujaq | nujaq | nujaq | nujaq | nujak | nujaq | nujaq | nujaq | |
| Eye | dax̂ | *irǝ | eca | iya | ii/iingaq | ii/iingaq | izi | izi | iri | iri | iyi | iyi | iyi | iri | iyi | iji | iji | iji | iji | ijik | ihi | isi | ili | |
| Eyelash | dam qaxsaa | *qǝmǝʁja- | qemerjax/seqpix | qemeryaq/siqpik | qemeryaq/ciqpik | qemeryaq/ciqpek | qimiriaq/siqpiq | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/hiqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/hiqpik | qimiriaq/hiqpik | qimiriaq/hiqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | qimiriaq/siqpik | kimigiak/sippik | qimiriaq/hiqpik | qimeriaq/serpik | qimiiaq/sirpik | |
| Ear | tutusix̂ | *ciɣunt | siigeta | sigun | cuun | ciun | siun | siun | siun | siun | hiun | siun | hiun | hiut | hiut | siut | siuti | siuti | siuti | siutik | hiut | siut | siit/*tusaat | |
| Nose | angusix̂ | *qǝŋa- | qengax | qengaq | qengaq | qengaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | kingak | qingaq | qingaq | qingaq | |
| Arm | chuyux̂ | *taɫi- | jaqex | taɫiq | taɫiq | taɫiq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | taliq | talik | taliq | taleq | taliq | |
| Hand | chax̂ | *arɣa | ácxeẋ | aykaq | aikaq | aikaq | agrak | agraq | argak | argak | argak | adjgak *aygak | algak | argak | adjgak | aggak | aggak | aggak | aggak | aggak | aghak | assak | attak | |
| Finger | atx̂ux̂ | *ińura- | nurax | yughaq | suaraq | yuaraq | inugaq | inugaq | iñugaq | iñugaq | iñugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugaq | inugak | inugaq | inuaq | iiaq | |
| Fingernail | *kikra | kiikiak | kigiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kikiak | kigiak | |||||
| Belly | xax | *aqja | aqii | aqyaq | aqsaq | aqsaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | aqiaq | akiak | aqiaq | aqajaq | ariaq | |
| Navel | qiihliqdax̂ | *qacaɫǝʁ | qaɫasex | qasaɫeq | qaɫaciq | qaɫaciq | qalaziq | qalachiq | qalasriq | qalasiq | qalahiq | qalasiq | qalahiq | qalahiq | qalahiq | qalasiq | qalasiq | qalasiq | qalasiq | kalasik | qalahiq | qalaseq | ||
| Knee | chidiĝix | *ciɣǝr-qu | sigesqeẋ | serquq | cisquq | ciisquq | siitquq | siitquq | siitquq | siitquq | hiitquq | siitquq | hiitquq | hiitquq | hiitquq | siiqquq | siiqquq | siiqquq | siirquq | siikkuk | hiiqquq | siiqqoq | ||
| Calf | tugaadix̂ | *nakacuɣ-na- | nakasegnax | nakasugnaq | nakacugnaq | nakacugnaq | nakasungnaq | nakasungnaq | nakasrungnaq | nakasungnaq | nakahungnaq | nakasungnaq | nakahungnaq | nakahungnaq | nakahungnaq | nakasungnaq | nakasungnaq | nakasunnaq | nakasunnaq | nakasunnak | nakahungnaq | nakasunnaaq | ||
| Foot | kitax̂ | *itǝɣ-(a-) | ítegá | itegaq | itaq | itgaq | itigak | itigaq | isigak | isigak | ihigak | itigak | itigak | ihigak | itigak | itigak | isigak | itigak | itigak | itigak | ihigak | isigak | ||
| Anus | idiĝasix̂ | *ǝtǝʁ | tex | eteq | eteq | teq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itiq | itik | itiq | iteq | iliq? *kiaavik | |
| Animals | Caribou | itx̂aygix̂ | *tuŋtu | tumta | tungtu | tuntu | tuntu | tuttu | tuttu | tuttu | tuttu | tuttu | tuktu | tuktu | tuktu | tuktu | tuktu | tuktu | tuttu | tuttu | tuttuk | tuktu | tuttu | tuttuq |
| Swan | qukingix̂ | *quɣruɣ | qerúmɫeráẋ | quuk | qugyuq | qugyuq | qugruk | qugruk | qugruk | qugruk | qugruk | qugyuk | qugyuk | qugyuk | qugyuk | qugjuk | qugjuk | qujjuk | qujjuk | kutjuk | qughuk | qussuk | qutsuk | |
| Canada Goose | laĝix̂ | *lǝqlǝʁ | leẋɫeẋ | leghɫeq | neqɫeq | neqɫeq | lirliq | lirliq | lirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | lirliq/nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nirliq | nillik | nirliq | nerɫeq | nirtiq | |
| Killer Whale | aglux̂ | *aʁɫuɣ | arɫux? | arɫuk | aqɫuk | arɫuk | aarlu | aarlu | aarlu | aarlu | aarlu | aarlu | aarlu | aarluk | aarluk | aarluk | aarluk | aarluk | aarluk | aalluk | aarluk | aarɫuk | aartiq? | |
| Groundhog/Arctic squirrel | sixsix | *sigsik | siksix | sikik | cikik | cikik | siksrik | chiksrik | siksrik | siksrik | siksrik | siksik | hikhik | hiksik | hikhik | siksik | siksi | sitsik | sitsik | sitsik | highik | sissi | sitsiq | |
| Ptarmigan | aĝdiikax̂ | *aqărɣiʁ | aqergex | aqargiiq/aqarriq | aqasgiiq | aqazgiiq | arargiq | arargiq | aqargiq | aqargiq | aqaygiq | aqiygiq | aqilgiq | aqirgiq/aqigriq | aqidjgiq | aqiggiq | aqiggiq | aqiggiq | aqiggiq | akiggik | aqighiq | aqisseq | nagalaraq | |
| Oldsquaw Duck | aagix̂ | *aXaŋǝ-liʁ | aahaangalex | aahaangwliq | ahangkiluk | aahaangiiq/aahaaliq | aa'aangiq | aa'aangiq | aahaaliq | aahaaliq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | aahaalliq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangik | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | ahaangiq | |
| Bowhead whale/whale | alax̂ | *aʁvǝʁ | arvex | arveq | arweq/arruq | arveq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | arviq | avvik | arviq | arfeq | arpiq | |
| Dog | sabaakax̂ | *qikmi- | qepeneẋ | qikmiq | qiqmiq/piugta | qimugta | qimmiq | qimmiq | qipmiq | qimmiq | qimmiq | qimmiq | qinmiq | qingmiq/qimmiq | qingmiq/qimmiq | qimmiq | qimmiq | qimmiq | qimmiq | kimmik | qimmiq | qimmeq | qimmiq | |
| Fish | qax̂ | *ǝqaɫuɣ | iqeɫex | iqaɫuk | iqaɫuk | iqaɫuk | iraluk | iraluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | qaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | iqaluk | ikaluk | iqaluk | eqaluk | iqalik | |
| Louse | kitux̂ | *kumaɣ | kúmex | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | kumak | |
| Other nouns | Atmosphere/weather/out | silan/slax̂ | *cǝla | siɫa | sɫaa | ɫa | ciɫa/ella | sila | chila | sila | sila | hila | sila | hila | hila | hila | sila | sila | sila | sila | sila | hila | sila | sila |
| Yes | aang | *aa/ii | ii | ii | ii-i | ii-i | ii-i | ii-i | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | ii | aap | ii | |
| No | nangaa | *naaka *qaanga | naaka | naka/naah | kaa | ina/qanga | naami/naagga | qanngaq/naagga | naumi/naakka | naumi/naagga | naggai | naaggai | imannaq | iiq/naagga | naung/naagga | nauk/aakka | aakka/naagga | aukka/aggaq | naggai/nauk | aukang | na'a/naagga | naami/naagga | iiqqii | |
| House | ulax̂ | *ǝŋlu | lu | inglu | englu | englu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | iglu | illu | illu | illuk | iglu | iɫɫu | ittiq | |
| Tent | pulaatxix̂ | *tupǝʁ | tupex | tupeq | tuviq | tuviq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupiq | tupik | tupiq | tupeq | tupiq | |||
| To ask | ahmat- | *apete | apet- | apetaqa- | apqar- | apete- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apiri- | apigi- | apiri- | aperi- | apii- | |
| Tell a Story/Legend | uniikal | *uniɣ-paʁ- | unircex | ungikpaq | unifkuaq | unifkaraq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unipkaaq | unikkaaq | unikkaaq | unikkaaq | unikkaak | unikkaaq | unikkaaq | unikkaaq | |
| Cry/weep | qidal | *qiRă- | qeje | qeya | qia | qeya | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | qia | kia | qia | qia | qia | |
| Arrow | *qaʁru | qarceẋ | ruuq | ruuq | qeruq | qarruq | qarruq | qarruq | qarruq | qarruq | qaryuq | qaryuq | qaryuq | qaryuq | qarjuq | qarjuq | qarjuk | qajjuk | katjuk | qarhuq | qarsoq | qarliq | ||
| Snow(flake) | qaniigix̂ | *qaniɣ | qanix | qanik | qanik | qaniq | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | kanik | qanik | qanik | qanik | |
| Price/Value | akiisal | *aki | aka | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | agi | agi | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | aki | akik | aki | agiq | |
| Hungry | haagil | *kajak | kajex | keek | kaik | kaik | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | kaak | |
| Cook | unagix̂ | *ǝɣa | ega | ega | ega | ega | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | iga | ega | inga | |
| Smoke | huyux̂s | *puju | pujex | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | puyuq | pujuq | pujuq | pujuq | pujuq | pujuk | pujuq | pujuq | pujuq | |
| Ash | utxix̂ | *aʁra | arex | aʁra | araq | araq | arra | arra | arra | arra | arra | arya | arya | arya | arya | arja | arja | arja | ajja | atjak | arhaq | arsaq | arlaq | |
| Wind | achunal | *anuqǝ | anuqa | anuqa | anuqa | anuqa | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anuri | anugik | anuri | anori | anirsiq | |
| Breath | angil | *anǝʁ- | anerte- | anernaq | anerneq | anerneq | anirniq | anirniq | aniqniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | anirniq | aninnik | anirniq | anerneq | anirniq | |
| Name | asax̂ | *atǝʁ | atex | ateq | ateq | ateq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atiq | atik | atiq | ateq | aliq | |
| Load | husix̂ | *uci | usa | usi | uci | uci | uzi | uchi | usri | usi | uhi | usi | uhi | uhi | uhi | usi | usi | usi | usi | usik | uhi | usi | usi | |
| Water | taangax̂ | *ǝmǝʁ | mex | emeq | meq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imiq | imik | imiq | imeq | imiq | |
| Fire | qignal | *ǝknǝ- | ekn'ex | ekneq | keneq | keneq | ikniq | itniq | ikniq | igniq | ingniq | ingniq | ingniq | ingniq | ingniq | ingniq | ingniq | inniq | inniq | innik | ingniq | inneq | igivattattiq | |
| To urinate | qaalux̂ | **quʁ(r)ǝ- | qux-teqex | uraquq | qure- | qure- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | qui- | kui- | qui- | qui- | quvi- | |
| Ship, boat | ayxaasix̂ | *umi(r)a | umax | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | umiak | umiaq | umiaq | umiaq | |
| Lake | hanix̂ | *taci-ʁ | jajvex | nayvaq | nanwaq | nanvaq | navraq/teziq | navraq/tachiq | narvaq/tasriq | narvaq/tasiq | narvaq/tahiq | nayvaq/tasiq | nalvaq/tahiq | narvaq/tahiq | nagvaq/tahiq | navvaq/tasiq | navvaq/tasiq | navvaq/tasiq | navvaq/tasiq | navvak/tasik | nassak/tahiq | nassak/taseq | nattak/tasiq | |
| Sun/Day | aĝadĝix̂ | *ciqi-nǝʁ | siqinex | siqineq/mazaq | ciqineq/masaq | ciqineq/macaq | siriniq/mazaq | chiqiniq/machaq | siqiñiq/masaq | siqiñiq | hiqiñiq | siqiniq | hiqiniq | hiqiniq | hiqiniq | siqiniq | siqiniq | siqiniq | siqiniq | sikinik | hiqiniq | seqineq | siirliq | |
| Cloud | *nụvǝja | nuiya | nuwiya | nuviya | nuviya | nuvuya | nuvuya | nuvuya | nuvuya | nuvuya | nuvuja | nuvujaq | nuvujaq | nuvujaq | nuvujak | nuvujaq | nuiaq | nuviaq | ||||||
| Star | sdax̂ | *umluria | uvluriaq | uvluriaq | uvluriaq | uvluriaq | uvluriaq | ubluriaq | ubluriaq | ubluriaq | ubluriaq | ubluriaq | ulluriaq | ulluriaq | ulluriaq | ullugiak | ulluriaq | ulloriaq | utturiaq | |||||
| Earth | tanax̂ | *luna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | nuna | ||
| Hilltop | qayax̂ | *qemi | qemix | qemiq | qemiq | qemiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | qimiq | kimik | qimiq | qimeq | qimiq | |
| Tree/Wood | *napar- | napax | napartuq | napaq | napa | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtuq | napaaqtiq | napaattuq | napaattuk | uqpik/napaaqtuq | urpik/napaartoq | urpik/napaartuq | ||
| Dog barking | qihlux | *qiluɣ | qelux | qilugaq | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiluk | kiluk | qiluk | qiluk | qiliilaq | |
| And/also | ama | *amma | ama/sama | amahwa/aamta | amleq/cama | amleq/cama | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | amma | aamma | aamma | |
| Shaman | qugaaĝix̂ | *aŋalku- | angekex | angaɫkuq | angaɫquq | angaɫkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angatkuq | angakkuq | angakkuq | angakkuq | angakkuq | angakkuk | angakkuq | angakkoq | angakkiq | |
| Sky | inix̂ | *qilaɣ | qilex | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | kilak | qilak | qilak | qilak | |
| Kiss on nose/kiss | qingul | *kungik | singeq | singaq(-ghaqaa) | cingaq | cingaq | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | kunik | |
| Feather | haka | *culuk | silek | siluk | culuk | culuk | suluk | chuluk | suluk | suluk | huluk | suluk | huluk | huluk | huluk | suluk | suluk | suluk | suluk | suluk | huluk | suluk | siik | |
| Milk | mulukax | *emug, itug | ituk/emunge | ituk/emuk | muk | ituk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | ituk | miluk | miluk | ituk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | immuk | |
| Here it is! | wa | *uva | hwa | hwa | w'a | w'a | uvvaa | uvvaa | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uvva | uhha | uffa | uppa | |
| Kayak | iqyaq | *qyaq | qajax | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qayavialuk | qayaq | qayaq | qayaq | qajaq | qajaq | qajaq | qajaq | kajak | qajaq | qajaq | saqqit | |
| Adjectives | Cold! Brrr! How cold! | ababa | *alaapaa | alaapa | alaappa | alaappa | alaappa | alaappa | alaappa | alaappa | alaappa | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ikkii | ||||
| Still/also/more | ahlii | *culi | sali | salin | cali | cali | suli | chuli | suli | suli | huli | suli | huli | huli | huli | suli | suli | suli | suli | suli | huli | suli | suli | |
| Swell | hums | *puvet | puvceqertéẋ | puuvaaquq | puge- | puve- | puit- | puit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puvit- | puik- | puiq- | |
| Long | adul | *takǝ(v) | takevaláẋ | taakǝlʁi | takequq | takequq | tagiruq | tagiruq | takiruq | takiruq | takiruq | takiyuq | takiyuq | takiyuq | takiyuq | takijuq | takijuq | takijuq | takijuq | takijuk | takihuuq | takisooq/takivoq | tagiliq | |
| Fat | ignatul | *quvi | quginaẋ | quginaq | quili | quvinaq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | quiniq | kuinik | quiniq | quineq | quiniq | |
| White | quhmax̂ | *qătǝ-ʁ | qetex | qeteq | qeteq | qeter- | qatiq | qatiq | qatiq | qatiq | qatiq | qatiq | qakuqtaq | qaquqtaq | qakuqtaq | qakuqtaq | qakuqtaq | qakuqtaq | qakutaq | kakuttak | qakuqtuq | qaqortoq | qaartiq | |
| Grey hair | qidaayux | *qirʁǝʁ | qircéreɫeẋ | qiiq | qiiq | qiiq | qiʁriq | qirʁiq | qirʁiq | qirʁi | qirʁiq | qiyriq | qiiq | qiriq | qiiq | qiiq | qiiq | qiiq | qiiq | kiik | qiiq | qeeq | qiiq | |
| Copper | kanuuyax̂ | **kanɣu-ja | kanuje | kanuya | kanuyaq | kanuyaq | kannuuyaq | kannuyaq | kannuyaq | kannguyaq | kannuyaq | kannuyaq | kannuyaq | kannuyaq | kanuhaq | kannujaq | kannujaq | kannujaq | kanusaq | kannujak | kannussaq | kanngussak | kanngutsak | |
| Numbers | 1 | ataqan | *ataʁu-ci- | ateresex | ataaziq | atauciq/atuusiq | atauciq | atausiq | atauchiq | atausriq | atausiq | atauhiq | atausiq | atauhiq | atauhiq | atauhiq | atausiq | atausiq | atausiq | atausiq | atausik | atauhiq | ataaseq | alaasiq |
| 2 | aalax̂ | *malǝʁu- | malrug | malghuk | malluk | malruk | marluuk | marluk | malruk | malruk | malruk | malruk | malruuk | malruuk | malruuk | marruuk | marruuk | marruuk | maqruuk | magguuk | marluk | marluk | martut | |
| 3 | qankun(-s) | *pingajunt | pingejug | pingayut | pingaun | pingayun | pingasut | pingachut | piñgasrut | piñgasut | piñgahut | pingasut | pingahut | pingahut | pingahut | pingasut | pingasut | pingasut | pingasut | pingasut | pingahut | pingasut | pingasit | |
| 4 | siiching | *cǝtama- | sitamij | sitamat | staamat | cetaman | sitaman | chitaman | sisaman | sisaman | hihaman | sitaman | hitaman | hihamat | hitamat | sitamat | tisamat | sitamat | sitamat | sitamat | hihamat | sisamat | siamat | |
| 5 | chaang | *taɫiman | tasímengíyi | taɫimat | taɫiman | taɫiman | tauliman | taliman | talliman | talliman | talliman | talliman | talliman | tallimat | tallimat | tallimat | tallimat | tallimat | tallimat | tallimat | taddimat | tallimat | tattimat | |
| 6 | atuung | *aʁvinelegh | inglex | aghvínelek | arwinlgen | arvinglegen | arwinilik | arwinilik | itchaksrat | itchaksat | itchakhat | arvinillik | arvinillik | arviniq | arvinraq | arviniqtut | arviniliit | pingasuujuqtut | pingasuujurtut | pingasuujuttut | arhiniddit | arfinillit | arpiniit | |
| 10 | hatix̂ | *qulǝ(ŋ) | qulex? | qula | qulin | qula | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | qulit | kulit | qulit | qulit | qutit | |
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