2 Qanuq itpiñ?

Dialogue: What is your name?

Uyaġak:
Uvlaamii.Uvlaamii. Good morning.
Qutuk:
Uvlaamii. Uvlaamii. Good morning.
Uyaġak:
Kiña ilviñ?Kiña ilviñ?What's your name?
Qutuk:
Uvaŋa?Uvaŋa?(who) me?
Uyaġak:
ii, ilviñ.ii, ilviñ.Yes you.
Qutuk:
Qutuk.Qutuk.Qutuk.
Uyaġak:
Unali kiña?Unali kiña?And who is this?
Qutuk:
Una Qiġñaaq.Qiġñaaq. This is Qiġñaaq.
Uyaġak:
Paġlagivisik.Paġlagivisik. Welcome (to the two of you).
Qutuk:
Quyanaqpak.Quyanaqpak.Thank you.
Vocabulary
Qanuq itpiñ?
How are you?
Nakuuruŋa.
fine (I am...)
Nakuuruq.
fine (he/she/it is...)
uvlaami
Good Morning (greeting)
Anaqaksralluataq
Good Evening (greeting)
Unali kiña?
Who is this?
una
this one (restricted, visible)
uvaŋa
I; me
ilviñ
you (1)
Aasii ilviñ?
What about you (1)?
Kiñauva?
What is his / her name?
Quviasuktuq.
happy (he/she is...)
Quviasukpiñ?
happy (Are you ...?)
Quviasuktuŋa.
happy (I am...)
Uiñġaqtuq.
sleepy (he/she is...)
Uiñġaqpiñ?
sleepy (Are you...?)
Uiñġaqtuŋa.
sleepy (I am...)
Uunaqpiñ?
hot (Are you...?)
Uunaqtuŋa.
hot (I am...)
Qiiyaviñ?
cold (Are you ...?)
Qiiyaruŋa.
cold (I am...)
Kaŋiqsiruq
understands (he/she...)
Kaŋiqsiviñ?
understand (Do you...?)
Kaŋiqsiruŋa.
understand (I...)
Quyanaqpak.
Thank you very much.

Grammar

5 » Asking Questions

Iñupiaq has a series of verb endings that are used just for asking questions. To ask a question we add one of these endings to the end of the word. The ending that is used changes depending on who the subject of the verb is. 
Niġiviñ? Are you eating?
Niġiva? Is he / she / it eating?

 

The following endings are used with stems that end in vowels:

kaŋiqsi- to understand
kaŋiqsivik? Do I understand?
kaŋiqisiviñ? Do you understand?
kaŋiqsiva? Does he/she understand?
kaŋiqsiviñuk? Do we (2) understand?
kaŋiqisivisa? Do we (3+) understand?
kaŋiqsivisik? Do you (2) understand?
kaŋiqsivisi? Do you (3+) understand?
kaŋiqsivak? Do they (2) understand?
kaŋiqsivat? Do they (3+) understand?

 

If you want to add these endings to stems ending in a consonant, you use the same endings as above, but you replace the v with a p.
taiguaq- to read
Taiguaqpik? Am I reading?
Taiguaqpiñ? Are you reading?
Taiguaqpa? Is he / she reading?
Taiguaqpiñuk? Are we (2) reading?
Taiguaqpisa? Are we (3+) reading?
Taiguaqpisik? Are you two reading?
Taiguaqpisi? Are you (3+) reading?
Taiguaqpak? Are the two of them reading?
Taiguaqpat? Are they (3+) reading?
 

 

6 » Personal Pronouns

Verbs in Iñupiaq have endings that tell us who is doing a particular action.

Niġiruŋa. I am eating.
Siñiktuq. She/he is sleeping.
Aullaqtut. They depart.

        
Iñupiaq does have words that mean I, you, he, we, etc. In English, we call these personal pronouns. Here is a sample:    

uvaŋa I
uvaguk we; us (2)
uvagut we; us (3+)
ilviñ you (1) 
ilvisik you (2)
ilvisi you (3+)

Because Iñupiaq verb ending already tells us who is doing an action, personal pronouns aren’t used as frequently as they are in English.     

Where personal pronouns are used is when :
  • you are talking about a person or an object without a verb
  • you are adding emphasis:
Nakuuruŋa, ilviḷḷi? I am fine, what about you?
Uvaŋa? (who) me?
Uvaŋalu nakuuruŋa. I (too) am fine.

Notice above the use of two little endings : +li and +lu that can be tacked on to the end of the pronouns.

+li is used in conversation when you want to change the person or object you are talking about :

ilviñ + li = ilviḷḷi?   What about you (1)?
uvaŋa + li = uvaŋali?   What about me?

+lu is an ending meaning « and » or « too »:

Uiñġaqtuŋa. I am sleepy.
uvaŋalu Me, too.


When –li and –lu  are added to personal pronouns ending in ñ, they change the final consonants to ḷ:

ilviñ + li = ilviḷḷi? And what about you?
ilviñ + lu = ilviḷḷu. You, as well.

When these enclitics are added to personal pronouns ending in k, the final k becomes g:    

ilvisik + li = ilvisigli? And what about you two?
uvaguk + lu = uvaguglu. And the two of us.