(1) This dictionary covers practically all the words generally used by the Canadian Eskimos. A certain number of words used only by local bands of Eskimos have been added on account of their particular interest and usefulness. In this case we have alway
(2) As there is no infinitive mode in Eskimo, all the verbs are given in the indicative mode, in the third person singular. As a rule when the subject of a verb is a personal pronoun, it is not expressed but included in the verb. For instance: pissukto
(3) Besides the words that we have compiled in this dictionary, new words may be created by the use of infixes. So we have given a list of infixes in Appendix I.
(4) PRONOUNCIATION. Eskimo pronounciation does not present as much difficulty as some of the other Amerindian languages. The different letters are prounounced mostly as in Latin. Here are a few letters or sounds that present certain difficulty:
K - The k has two distinctly different pronounciations. The first one is that of the k in king, vg. ikkitit, matches; the second one is pronounced deep in the throat. It is very similar to a Kr and we have written it thus. But this
J and Y - The j and the y are interchangeable and should be pronounced as y in you.
S - The s is generally pronounced as sh, vg. amisut (amishut). Some bands in the Eskimo Point region pronounce it as an h, vg. asso (aHo).
I - the i is pronounced as ee, vg. inuk (eenuk).
U - the u is pronounced oo as in shoot, or better as in the latin "una".
NG - The ng is pronounced with a single sound, as in singing and never as in "ungodly".
DLERK - at the end of a word is pronounced likie TSLERK. It is in fact the only really difficult pronounciation, along perhaps with the KR.
(5) The use of SYLLABIC in Eskimo. - It is well over 120 years since the syllabic system of writing was introduced in the Amerindian languages of Western Canada. Syllabic writing, however, was unknown to the Eskimos as late as 1885, when it was a
The syllabic system is a very simple way of writing syllables (not letters) with signs. Although it is very practical in many ways, it is not a precise manner of writing. Indeed, it is often ambiguous. For instance, one sign may mean, karnerk, hu
Jealous (is) - kremigosuktok
journeys v. - ingelrayok
joy - kuviasungnerk
judge - krauyimatauyok
jumps v. - missikpok
jumps a little v. - kiggertarpok, kriggertarpok