Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Dachusblot
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Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-05-27, 20:13

Hello! My very first post here, yay. So, I have a rather bizarre request... I need a phrase translated into Kalaallisut and/or Yupik, but I need it in the form of a name, like a nickname or a title you would give to someone, if that's possible. (Inuktitut, Inupiaq, or any other language native to Alaska/Canada would also be okay, but I'd prefer it to be in one of those first two.)

The phrase is, "She goes barefoot in the snow" or "Girl who walks barefoot in the snow."

I hope this isn't an impossible request. My knowledge of these languages is unfortunately very limited. But hopefully someone here can help me out. Thanks! :D

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-05-28, 10:26

I could give a shot at a Yup'ik translation, but it'll take me a few days. My Yup'ik is very basic.

Dachusblot
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Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-05-28, 14:12

Thank you! That would be great. I'm in no hurry. :)

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-05-29, 21:25

So, I haven't been able to figure out "in the snow." But I have found (actually quite easily in my dictionary :P ) "she walks around/is barefoot":

kamilangqauq (kamilar- + -ngqa- + -uq)

There are about three different words for snow (that's on the ground). The problem for me would be sticking it all together. I'm afraid I don't know how at the moment.



And just out of curiosity, are you interested in learning Yup'ik and/or Inuktitut?

Dachusblot
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Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-05-30, 13:47

Great! Yeah, I've been attempting to use some online dictionaries, but my main difficulty is figuring out how to properly string the words together.

What's the difference in those three words for snow? Would it help for me to more specifically define which one I want?... I'm not sure this is right, but at the risk of sounding stupid, I think "tumllug" means "deep snow that's hard to walk in"? - If so, then that's the one I want. But again, yeah, no clue how to attach it to the rest.

Also, I'd love to learn Yup'ik! I actually lived in Alaska recently but never got around to taking a class while I was up there. :'(

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-05-30, 13:57

I'm honestly not sure what the differences are. I didn't think to cross reference the entries. I'll see what I can dig up when I get back to my dictionary.


And that's pretty cool. I've never lived in Alaska, but I've been fasinated with the Eskimo and Inuit cultures for years now, hence my interest. Nor have I ever taken a course myself, but I have tried to work my way through Jacobson's substantial textbook. I hope to make it all the way through one of these times. :lol:

Dachusblot
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Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-05-30, 18:10

OK, look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Yeah, Alaska's beautiful, I really miss it sometimes. I taught an English course for a couple of years in Fairbanks and had quite a lot of Native Alaskan students in my classes. I really love the folktales - they're so imaginative and blunt, and often either really dark or really hilarious (or both). Though most of the stories in my collections seem to come more from Greenland or eastern Canada rather than Alaska.

Phew, that Jacobson book is huge! That must be a useful thing to have. :lol:

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-05-31, 11:55

Ok, here are the different terms for snow, and their different connotations:

aniu - A Norton Sound (NS) dialect term. Also creates the NS stem aniu- "to snow."
apun - Another NS dialect term.
qanikcaq - It seems to come from the word qanuk "snowflake." It is the General Central Yup'ik (GCY) term.

So the first two are specific to a certian Yup'ik dialect, where as the last is used in a broader linguistic area. Other then that, there are no other differences.

I should probably also note the Jacobson has graciously uploaded a digital copy of his updated two volume dictionary online at the U of A's Alaska Native Language Archive. I'm still working off the older one volume edition :P (though I probably will pick up a copy of the new one eventually). I can try to drum up a direct link later if you want.


I really love the folktales - they're so imaginative and blunt, and often either really dark or really hilarious (or both). Though most of the stories in my collections seem to come more from Greenland or eastern Canada rather than Alaska.

Yes, indeed. The folktales of various native peoples are quite facinating to me as well. The idea of reading them in the original languages was a driving force in my interest in studying both some Eskimo-Aleut languages, and other Native American languages in general. That and the rich history of the tribes.

I have a bit of a collect of folktales myself. Mostly in Mohawk, Lakota, Lushootseed, Tlingit, Aleut, Iñupiaq, and Yup'ik.

Phew, that Jacobson book is huge! That must be a useful thing to have. :lol:

Believe me, it is. :yep:

It's not for the faint of heart, as it is quite grammar heavy, and quite intense. However, it is the single best volume on Yup'ik in English, bar none. If you don't have a copy and are truly interested in learning Yup'ik, I recommend you pick up a copy if you can.

Dachusblot
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Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-06-01, 4:25

All right, I suppose the more general one, qanikcaq, is the one I would want then. So the only question left then is how to string all the parts together... hm.
I should probably also note the Jacobson has graciously uploaded a digital copy of his updated two volume dictionary online at the U of A's Alaska Native Language Archive.

Wow, really? That's awesome! I didn't know that.

Yeah, honestly, it's the grammar that gets me. I attempted to teach myself a bit of Greenlandic not long ago, but I was working with some not particularly good sources and I just could not wrap my head around how the different parts of the words were supposed to be combined together. It wasn't so much the ordering as the spelling changes that got me. From what I can tell Yup'ik is about equally complicated, though maybe the spelling is a bit easier than Greenlandic ("kamilangqauq" made sense to me, at least). I think if I took a class I would probably be able to get it, but just trying to teach myself doesn't seem to work very well. :dunno:

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-06-01, 21:34

Here's that link: http://www.uaf.edu/anla/item.xml?id=CY972J2012

And, yeah, that's exactly what's so hard with the Inuit languages. I'm not sure about Inuktitut or Greenlandic myself, but I know from looking over stuff for Yup'ik and Inupiaq that those phonological changes are tricky. This might just be my impression, but Yup'ik seems to be especially hard in this regard. Any of these languages would take a good little while to learn. But the way the Jacobson wrote his book, it makes things pretty clear and easy to understand. He isn't afraid to use linguistic terms or funky symbols in his explanations or vocabulary lists, but it gets the job done. And he has explained everything quite well.

Though, a language class with a good teacher is always preferable to solo study.

At any rate, I've done all I can for your translation request at the moment. I wish you luck, and hope to see you around the forum. :wink:

Dachusblot
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Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby Dachusblot » 2014-06-03, 19:13

Thank you so much for your help! This is definitely a good start. Hopefully I'll figure out how to put it all together. I'm using it in a book and I really would like it to be accurate. Maybe I'll contact some of the faculty at UAF and see if they'd be willing to help me out. :)

księżycowy

Re: Need a name in Kalaallisut and/or Yupik

Postby księżycowy » 2014-06-03, 19:19

It's certainly worth a try. Not that I do it often, but I find professors more than willing to help usually.


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