Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Tuktoyaktuk (Aug 13/01) - In the latest effort to preserve the Inuvialuktun language, the Siglit dictionary was launched here Aug. 3.

The second edition of the Siglit Inuvialuit Eskimo Dictionary was compiled by together by Prof. Ronald Lowe of Laval University in Quebec City.

Lowe also edited the original Siglit dictionary in the 1980s, as well as a dictionary for each of the other two Inuvialuktun dialects -- Kangiryuarmiut and Uummarmiut.

For this dictionary Lowe consulted several local elders, and he was assisted by a student, Andre Bourcier.

The Siglit dialect is spoken mainly in Tuk, Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk. Uummarimiut is spoken mainly in Aklavik and Inuvik, and Kangiryuarmiut is spoken mainly in Holman.

Pat Winfield, co-ordinator for the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre in Inuvik, said the centre helped bring about the Siglit dictionary, and also plans to produce revised dictionaries for the other dialects.

Winfield expressed concern that the entire Inuvialuktun language is endangered.

"We're looking at the dictionaries as just a form of preservation," Winfield said.

"The language is so close to being dead, that we're much more concerned about getting people just to speak it."

One thousand copies have been made of the Siglit edition. Some will be distributed to schools within the three communities. Copies will also be on sale at the cultural centre, and proceeds will go towards publication of the next dictionaries.

Winfield said the new Siglit dictionary contains more words than the original, and that the language is explained better.

A contest was held over a year ago to design a poster to grace the cover of the Siglit dictionary.

The winner was Peter Voudrach of Mangilaluk school in Tuk.

Spelling issues

Winfield noted that there has been some controversy, dating back to the original dictionaries, about how words should be spelled. She said part of the problem would be that many Inuvialuktun words were originally written down by missionaries and other people who were not Inuvialuit.

Renie Arey, assistant at the cultural centre, explained many elders have trouble if words aren't spelled the way they sound, but that many young people are using the dictionaries in school.

"This new way of writing, it's easier for me to read and write it," Arey said.

Winfield said it's time for standards to be set within Inuvialuiktun.

"We can't all sort of decide we're going to spell something some way. You can't do that in any language," Winfield said.

"We all should choose to go with one way of spelling because it will help, in the long run, in terms of communication."

Next project

The next dictionary the cultural centre is working on is the Holman dialect, Kangiryuarmiut, which is also known as Inuimnaqtun. Winfield said that dialect is stronger than the others.

"I don't hear the children speaking it so much, but I hear the elders speaking to the children in Inuimnaqtun, and it's obvious to me that the children understand what's being said."