Siglitun

Siglitun is the dialect of Inuvialuktun spoken by the Siglit, an Inuit group of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is mainly used in the Inuvialuit communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk.[1] Siglitun was once the principal dialect of the Mackenzie River delta, nearby parts of the coast and Arctic Ocean islands, but the number of speakers fell dramatically following outbreaks of new diseases in the 19th century and for many years Siglitun was believed to be completely extinct. It was only in the 1980s that outsiders realised that it was still spoken.

Siglitun
Native toCanada
RegionNorthwest Territories (Canada), as "Inuvialuktun"
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologsigl1242
Inuit dialects. Siglit is purple.
English: Welcome to Tuktoyaktuk
Siglitun: 'Aqana Tuktuuyaqtuumukkabsi

Siglitun is the original dialect of the people from Kitigaaryuit.

It is one of the three dialects, along with Kangiryuarmiutun and Uummarmiutun, of Inuit language grouped together under the label Inuvialuktun.

Phonology

The following is the phonology of the Siglitun dialect:[2]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Open a
  • Vowel sounds /i u/ can have allophones heard as [ɪ ʊ].

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular
plain lateral
Nasal m n ŋ
Stop/
Affricate		 voiceless p t tʃ k q
voiced b dʒ
Fricative v s ɬ ɣ ʁ
Approximant l j

Vocabulary comparison

The comparison of some animal names in the Siglitun dialect of Inuvialuktun language and Uummarmiutun dialect of the Iñupiatun language:[3]

Siglitun Uummarmiutun meaning
siksik hikȓik ground squirrel
qugyuk qugȓuk tundra swan
ugyuk ugȓuk bearded seal
tigiaqpak itigiaqpak mink
qavviasiaq qavviatchiaq marten
tigiaq itiriaq weasel
tatidjgaq tatiȓgaq sandhill crane
ivugaqpak kuȓugaqpak mallard
aqidjgiq aqȓgiq willow ptarmigan
isun’ngaq ihun’ngaq jaeger
piqtusiraq pamiuquuq otter

References
  1. IRC - Languages
  2. Lowe, Ronald (1985). Siglit Inuvialuktun Uqausiita Ilisarviksait: Basic Siglit Inuvialuktun Grammar. Committee for Original Peoples Entitlement. pp. 297–298.
  3. Inuvialuit Settlement Region – TK Study, August 2006
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