Inuktitut slowly dying across Nunavut, study shows Youth prefer English for ease of communication

Research by linguists Louis Jacques Dorais and Susan Sammons predicts that by 2020, Inuktitut will survive, but in a badly-weakened state

That’s because growing numbers of young Inuit prefer to use English, for ease of communication.

“Our most recent research on “Discourse and identity in Iqaluit” after the advent of Nunavut shows that even if Inuktitut has become more visible, on public signs, at the Legislative Assembly and other places since 1999, its use among children and young people has continued to decline,” Dorais said.

Their research shows the principal language of communication for Inuit under 30 who live in Iqaluit is already English, even if most can speak Inuktitut with some fluency.

But the health of Inuktitut varies depending on where Inuit live, Dorais said.

In Nunavut’s smaller communities, Dorais and Sammons found that while far more Inuktitut is spoken by all generations, the use of English seems to be increasing too, although at a slower pace.

“This is true for the Baffin region and for Kivalliq, except, perhaps, for Rankin and perhaps Baker Lake, where Inuktitut is rarely heard on the street. In the Kitikmeot region, very few individuals under 25 to 30 speak any Inuinnaqtun even if some may understand it a bit, and most, if not all parents address their children in English,” Dorais said.

Their research still shows that most Inuit, in Iqaluit and elsewhere, and whatever their age, place a great value on Inuktitut.

“For them, their native language is part of their identity, and it must be transmitted to children. Many people, young or old, believe that one of the principal reasons for having established Nunavut is to protect Inuit language and culture,” Dorais said. “The Government of Nunavut should, thus, put efforts and monies into linguistic and cultural programs.”

But Dorais and Sammons found that when people communicate among themselves, they prefer to use the language that makes communication the easiest.

For younger Inuit, especially in Iqaluit, this language seems to be English, sometimes mixed with Inuktitut.

Dorais and Sammons believe that this is because:

• Most young people do not know how to speak in Inuktitut about everyday life in today’s world;
• Young people have been schooled almost exclusively in English;
• Youth culture is mostly North America’s popular culture, which is expressed in English – “so, here again, it is not possible, nor necessary, for them to discuss it in Inuktitut,” Dorais said.

“This is, I think, the main reason explaining the increase of English in Nunavut, despite a real will on the part of everyone, including the young, to give more importance to Inuktitut,” he said.

To reverse this situation, Dorais suggests education in Inuktitut should be offered up to Grade 12, and there should be more efforts to produce “modern” television programs, CDs, DVDs, etc. in Inuktitut.

“This is what has been done in Greenland since Home Rule in 1979, and it has worked,” Dorais said.

“Kalaallisut is the principal language used by all native Greenlanders, whatever their age, even if most of them are bilingual in Danish, and even trilingual, with English added. But I doubt that in Canada, the governments will ever allow the huge funds necessary for developing education.”

So, if nothing changes, the situation Dorais said by 2020 Inuktitut will still be spoken, at least in the Baffin region and Nunavik – but it won’t be thriving.

“Most children will have two mother tongues, Inuktitut and English, because their parents and other adults will address them in both languages. The principal language in use will be English, at least in Iqaluit, and perhaps Kuujjuaq in Nunavik…

“Inuktitut will still be heard both in official circumstances, at the Legislative Assembly, in political speeches, etc., and among groups of relatives and friends – mixed with English – for joking, enjoying oneself and discussing small topics, what to eat, where to go today, etc.”

Dorais said the need to be understood easily will continue to push speakers toward English, but the pride of being Inuk and identifying with Inuktitut will preserve some of the original language.