IQALUIT
"There was no vote," Jeela Palluq-Cloutier, executive director of Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit (Inuit Language Authority), was quick to point out when talking about the recent Apqutauvugut conference in Iqaluit.

Karliin Aariak stands during a prize giveaway portion on the Apqutauvugut conference's last day in Iqaluit, Feb. 12. The conference, which brought together Inuit interpreters and translators, ran into controversy after reports that attendees voted in favour of the use of Roman orthography over syllabics for written Inuit languages going forward. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"That has been a big misunderstanding."

The conference brought together more than 120 Inuit interpreters and translators to discuss the feasibility of a unified writing system, as well as talk about other issues and difficulties in the industry.

In the latter part of the conference, Palluq-Cloutier tested the water among attendees about whether they would support a unified writing system for Inuit languages. This was reported in the media as a vote, with the winner being Roman orthography over syllabics.

Many attendees were surprised by the result and seemed to misunderstand the question being asked.

Suzie Napayok-Short, a freelance translator to Inuktitut from English, thought it was a vote at the time.

"I know that the majority of the interpreters and translators actually would not agree to switching to the Roman orthography writing system, but because of the way that the question that we were asked to vote on was not explained properly, people misunderstood it and voted yes when they meant no," she said.

Palluq-Cloutier said the question was simply if attendees supported a unified writing system or not.

"I did not add whether it was Roman orthography or syllabics, so there was also that misunderstanding," she said. "When people said either a yes or no, some people said yes to a unified writing system but based in syllabics. My question should have been written out, 'Are you in support of a unified writing system based in Roman orthography?' So the answers that I got, I just voided that completely because there was a misunderstanding."

Her organization will be bringing forward a recommendation to Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on the subject but that's not due until December 2018. Palluq-Cloutier confirmed there is no significance or immediate impact from the "vote," and much more consultation will take place before the ITK deadline.

Napayok-Short, though she was alarmed at the misunderstanding at the time and supports syllabics, said she does see Roman orthography in the future as the way to go but that future should be at least a decade out.

Primarily, Napayok-Short is concerned that many current elders who know only syllabics would be left behind if any switch was made to Roman orthography too soon.

"A lot of people worried that our elders would no longer communicate with us," she said.

"We do want (Roman orthography) eventually, but it's got to take time. We've got seniors and elders who depend on it."

It would be better if such a change was introduced for the next generation of Inuit, she said.

"I see the sensibility of Roman orthography, but we have to wait," said Napayok-Short.

School children throughout Nunavut are taught to write Inuit languages in syllabics, which was first introduced to the Inuit by Anglican missionaries in the 1800s.