Inuit Sign Language

Inuit Sign Language (IUR)
ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᕋᐅᓯᖏᑦ
Inuit Uukturausingit
ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᐊᕋᐅᓯᖅ Inuit Uuktuarausiq[1]
(also: ᐊᑦᒐᖕᒨᕐᖕᓂᖅ Atgangmuurngniq)
Inuktitut: ᐆᒃᑐᕋᖅ Uukturaq
Inuinnaqtun: Tikuraq ᑎᑯᕋᖅ
Inuvialuktun: Ujjiqsuuraq
Iñupiatun: Urraaraq
Kalaallisut: Ussersuut
Yugtun: Unaatekun Qalarcaraq
Unangam Tunuu: Chuguusal / Chaasal
Danish: Inuit Tegnsprog
French: Langue des signes inuite
Native toCanada, possibly Greenland
RegionNunavut
EthnicityInuit
Native speakers
At least 47 Deaf in Nunavut (2000 (2000 data, 2014 pub.))[2]
Unknown additional hearing speakers
none
Official status
Official language in
none
Recognised minority
language in
Interpreted alongside ASL in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3iks
Glottologinui1247
ELPInuit Sign Language
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Inuit Sign Language (IUR; Inuktitut: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᕋᐅᓯᖏᑦ, romanizedInuit Uukturausingit) is one of the Inuit languages and the indigenous sign language of the Inuit people. It is a language isolate native to Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. It is currently only attested within certain communities in Nunavut, particularly Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet.[which?] Although there is a possibility that it may be used in other places where Inuit live in the Arctic, this has not been confirmed.[4][5]

Of the estimated 155 deaf residents of Nunavut in 2000, around 47 were thought to use IUR, while the rest use American Sign Language (ASL) due to schooling.[6] It is unknown how many hearing people use the language nor how many people are monolingual. As it is a highly endangered and relatively hidden language, it has no protection under the federal or territorial governments of Canada. However, IUR exists alongside ASL interpretation within the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut as of 2008.[3] Recently, there has been increased interest in the documentation of the language which would be done through the Nunavut Council for People with Disabilities and the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC).[7] As well, there is a push to expand the interpretation/translation programme through Arctic College to include IUR.[8]

  1. ^ EskemoBranchee. "Deaf/Hard of Hearing/Sign Language or Gesture in various languages". All Deaf. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  2. ^ Inuit Sign Language (IUR)
    ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐆᒃᑐᕋᐅᓯᖏᑦ
    Inuit Uukturausingit
    at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NLA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Schuit (2012).
  5. ^ MacDougall (2001).
  6. ^ MacDougall (2000).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference InuDoc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Right was invoked but never defined (see the help page).