Learning Inuktitut it seems to me is somewhat mathematical. In re writing the exercises I have discovered that performing a mathematical type equation works well in remembering the rules. Interestingly the order of the words is unimportant, the meaning comes in the construction of the word. It is not incorrect to say ilinniaqtunga inuktitut or alternately to say inuktitut ilinniaqtunga.
Example
umiak= boat (pron. oo me ak)
-juag = large, big, (pron. ju ak)
umiak+juag = large boat, ship
umiakjuag= umiarjuag. Sound 'k' must change to sound 'r'.
-kkut = by way of.
umiak+juaq+kkut = umiakjuaqkkut =
umiarjuaqkkut = too many consonants q has to go.
umiarjuakkut!- by ship, by way of big boat (pron. oo mee aar joo aak koot)
Tikit= arrive, (pron. tee keet)
tunga= self or I.
So it becomes tikitunga. (no tricky rules here) (pron. tick ee tunga)
A two word sentence: umiarjuakkut tikitunga or for fun tikitunga umiarjuakkut. "I arrive by ship"
Whew! that sure seems like a mouthful!
Incidentally I arrived by plane.
5 comments:
Uh...can I just learn "hello". Isn't that "hey" in like every language? Just saying.
"Hi" in Canadian sounds like oops in Inuktitut. You could say ullakkut. (pron. uddlakoot).
But really it was fun wasn't it?
I'm finding that I'm starting to recognize sounds and I'm getting better at sounding out my student's names... although I'm limited to only a few words and I'm having a hard time not overpronouncing the consenents at the ends of syllabals.
Its funny.. they say something that sounds like ooh-la-koot here a lot, but I'm not sure the context would make sense if the word is hello... it might be something like yup or correct I think. They seems to say it when someone gives a correct response.
Ullakkut means Good Day or Good Morning.
Tikitunga is my favorite saying in Inuktituk. "I've arrived"
As you can see my spelling in inuktituk is no better than in english.
:o)
Hei again...
what an intresting language, though it sounds really mathmatically... :))
Very special, suppose you will make it perfect one day!
Have a lovely weekend!
Greetings from the Old World :)
Beatrice
www.bea-nype.blogspot.com
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