Inuinnaqtun

{{Short description|Inuit language of Canada}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Inuinnaqtun

| nativename = {{lang|ikt|ᐃᓄᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓐ‎}}

| states = Canada (Nunavut and Northwest Territories)

| speakers = 1,310

| date = 2016 census

| ref = {{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016022/98-200-x2016022-eng.cfm|title=Census in Brief: The Aboriginal languages of First Nations people, Métis and Inuit|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|date=25 October 2017 |language=en|access-date=2017-11-12}}

| familycolor = Eskimo-Aleut

| fam2 = Eskimo

| fam3 = Inuit

| fam4 = Inuvialuktun

| ancestor = Proto-Eskimo–Aleut

| ancestor2 = Proto-Eskimo

| ancestor3 = Proto-Inuit

| nation = Nunavut
Northwest Territories

| agency = Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

| iso1 = iu

| iso2 = iku

| iso2comment = Inuktitut

| iso3 = ikt

| iso3comment = Inuinnaqtun, Western Canadian Inuktitut

| map = Inuktitut dialect map.svg

| mapcaption = Inuit dialects. Inuinnaqtun is olive green.

| map2 = Lang Status 60-DE.svg

| mapcaption2 = {{center|{{small|Inuinnaqtun is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger}}}}

| glotto = copp1244

| glottorefname = Inuinnaqtun

| pronunciation = {{IPA|[inuinːɑqtun]}}

}}

{{Infobox ethnonym|root=Inu- ᐃᓄ- / nuna ᓄᓇ
"person" / "land"|person=Inuinnaq|people=Inuinnait|language=Inuinnaqtun;
Tikuraq ᑎᑯᕋᖅ|country=Inuinnait Nunangat,{{indent|5}}Inuit Nunangat ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᑦ}}

Inuinnaqtun ({{langx|ikt|ᐃᓄᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓐ‎|link=no|Inuinnaqtun}}, {{IPA|ikt|inuinːɑqtun}}; natively meaning 'like the real human beings/peoples') is an Inuit language. It is spoken in the central Canadian Arctic. 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.{{cite book | last = Condon | first = Richard | author-link = Richard Guy Condon |author2=Julia Ogina |author3=The Holman Elders | title = The Northern Copper Inuit | url = https://archive.org/details/northerncopperin0000cond | url-access = registration | access-date = 2011-02-09 | year = 1996 | publisher = University of Toronto Press/University of Oklahoma Press | isbn = 0-8020-0849-6 | page = xix | chapter = Foreword | quote = "...the majority of Holman residents speak the central Arctic dialect, Inuinnaqtun..."}} The government of Nunavut recognises Inuinnaqtun as an official language in addition to Inuktitut, and together sometimes referred to as Inuktut.[https://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/snu-2008-c-10/latest/snu-2008-c-10.html Official Languages Act, S.Nu. 2008, c. 10], s. 3(1) with [https://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/snu-2008-c-17/latest/snu-2008-c-17.html Inuit Language Protection Act, S.Nu. 2008, c. 17], s. 1(2).{{cite web|url=https://gov.nu.ca/culture-and-heritage/information/we-speak-inuktut|title=We Speak Inuktut|access-date=2021-02-27|archive-date=2023-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816202346/https://gov.nu.ca/culture-and-heritage/information/we-speak-inuktut|url-status=dead}} It is spoken in the Northwest Territories as well and is recognised as an official language of the territory in addition to Inuvialuktun and Inuktitut.[https://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/en/files/legislation/official-languages/official-languages.a.pdf Official Languages Act, RSNWT 1988, c. O-1], s. 4 in its 2003 version; PWNHC: [https://www.pwnhc.ca/official-languages-of-the-northwest-territories/ Official Languages of the Northwest Territories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019184622/https://www.pwnhc.ca/official-languages-of-the-northwest-territories/ |date=2021-10-19 }}

Inuinnaqtun is used primarily in the communities of Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk and Gjoa Haven in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. Outside Nunavut, it is spoken in the hamlet of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories,{{cite web|url=https://www.inuinnaqtun.ca/about |title=Let's Speak Inuinnaqtun - About Us|access-date=2021-02-27}} where it is also known as Kangiryuarmiutun, forming a part of Inuvialuktun.Inuvialuit Cultural Centre: [https://inuvialuitdigitallibrary.ca/languages Inuvialuit Digital Library – Language Resources] It is written using the Roman orthographyCBC Original Voices: [https://www.cbc.ca/originalvoices/language/inuinnaqtun/ Inuinnaqtun] except in Gjoa Haven, where Inuit syllabics are used (as for Natsilingmiutut).