A Guide to Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait

Press Release

March 31 is National Indigenous Languages Day in Canada. Today and every day, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami celebrates Inuktut, the rich array of dialects spoken by Inuit.

As part of that work, ITK releases Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait and Translation: A guide to using the unified Inuktut writing system and translating for ITK.

This guide explains what Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait is and how to use it. Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait is a unified writing system, a common set of symbols for Inuktut sounds, that allows written text to reflect spoken words in any dialect of Inuktut. It is based on the roman alphabet, which is already used as a primary or a secondary script in all regions of Inuit Nunangat. The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Board of Directors officially adopted the Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait orthography in 2019. The new orthography is an auxiliary system to be implemented alongside the existing orthographies used regionally.

Every translator has unique skills, work and life experiences, and education based on a wide variety of regional dialects, writing systems, and spelling and grammar rules. We hope this guide helps to makes it easier to use Inuktut, and to more readily share materials across Inuit Nunangat for the benefit of all Inuit.

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