Nunavut’s Inuit language authority a focus for upcoming legislative hearings

As part of efforts to standardize Inuktut in Nunavut, Taiguusiliuqtiit has collected and illustrated 150 Inuktut terms that describe emotions and feelings. (IMAGE COURTESY OF IUT)

Nunavut’s Inuit language authority, Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit, continues to work towards standardizing Inuktut across the territory, as MLAs prepare to take a look at the organization later this month.

Members of Nunavut’s legislative assembly will scrutinize Taiguusiliuqtiit’s activities — during standing committee hearings on its recent annual reports and those of Nunavut’s language commission — from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27.

Under the Inuit Language Protection Act, the independent, Iqaluit-based organization is mandated to develop standardized terminology, document dialects, and help government departments and the business community with access to Inuit language services.

But according to Taiguusiliuqtiit’s last three annual reports, tabled during the most recent session of the legislative assembly, that process is slow one, hindered by budget restraints and the territory’s vast geography.

The reports also suggests that Taiguusiliuqtiit has not yet used its full powers, as the organization looks to develop a better communications strategy with stakeholders.

Under the language act, Taiguusiliuqtiit’s most important duty is developing and approving standardized Inuktut terms and expressions.

The organization’s 2014-15 annual report indicates that Taiguusiliuqtiit has collected terminology in a number of fields, but has yet to standardize them.

Although the Inuit Language Protection Act gives Taiguusiliuqtiit the power to direct a GN department or public agency to implement standard terminology, the organization has not made use of that power.

The organization, currently made up a five-member board of directors and seven staff, has instead focused on specific themes in its terminology collection.

For example, Taiguusiliuqtiit has collected 150 Inuktut terms that describe emotions and feelings, 195 terms that describe hockey, and another 945 that refer to Inuit names.

Taiguusiliuqtiit has provided help to a number of government agencies and Nunavut organizations. Over the last three years, it has helped standardize terms for the Department of Justice and recommend names for the new Family Services department (Inulirijikkut) and the new Inuit Broadcasting Corp. facility in Iqaluit.

But in its 2013-14 report, Taiguusiliuqtiit’s board members note that the sub-committees it had always appointed to review Inuktut terminology, like its media terminology or health terminology committees, proved to be too time-consuming and expensive to maintain.

It took time to find and appoint representatives from across the territory, and it became too costly to bring those committee members together, the report said.

So the organization has taken a similar approach to its counterpart in Quebec, the Office québécois de la langue française, by having staff members delegated to terminology research, with the board of directors providing oversight.

Taiguusiliuqtiit works with a $2.2 million annual budget, about half of which goes to permanent salaries.

In the face of budgetary constraints, the organization reported that it’s also had to cut back on its own face-to-face meetings in recent years.

Apart from its Iqaluit-based staff, Taiguusiliuqtiit’s chair, Elijah Erkloo is from Pond Inlet; vice chair Miriam Aglukkaq is from Gjoa Haven, while three other board members represent each of Nunavut’s three regions.

The organization has made major strides in the development of Inuktut competency levels for GN employees.

Under that program, money would be paid to employees who attain a high level of Inuktut proficiency, spoken and written.

As part of a three-year plan, Taiguusiliuqtiit is still in the early stages of developing a terminology database for use by all Nunavummiut.

The organization also plans to design and launch its own website, along with a broad communication strategy.