Numbers in Inupiaq



Learn numbers in Inupiaq

Knowing numbers in Inupiaq is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Inupiaq. Learning to count in Inupiaq may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Inupiaq is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Inupiaq.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Inupiaq?

The Inupiaq language (Iñupiatun, Inupiatun, Inupiaqtun) is a group of dialects of the Inuit languages family within the Eskimo-Aleut family. It is spoken by the Iñupiat people in northern and northwestern Alaska, and part of the Northwest Territories. We will focus here on the Northern Alaskan Iñupiaq language. The Iñupiaq language counts about 2,000 speakers.Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 100 in Inupiaq. Please contact me if you can help me counting up from that limit.

List of numbers in Inupiaq

Here is a list of numbers in Inupiaq. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Inupiaq from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Inupiaq. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Inupiaq.

• 1) atausiq
• 2) malġuk
• 3) piŋasut
• 4) sisamat
• 5) tallimat
• 6) itchaksrat
• 7) tallimat malġuk
• 8) tallimat piŋasut
• 9) quliŋuġutaiḷaq
• 10) qulit
• 11) qulit atausiq
• 12) qulit malġuk
• 13) qulit piŋasut
• 14) akimiaġutaiḷaq
• 15) akimiaq
• 16) akimiaq atausiq
• 17) akimiaq malġuk
• 18) akimiaq piŋasut
• 19) iñuiññaŋŋutaiḷaq
• 20) iñuiññaq
• 30) iñuiññaq qulit
• 40) malġukipiaq
• 50) malġukipiaq qulit
• 60) piŋasukipiaq
• 70) piŋasukipiaq qulit
• 80) sisamakipiaq
• 90) sisamakipiaq qulit
• 100) tallimakipiaq
• 1,000) kavluutit

Numbers in Inupiaq: Inupiaq numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Inupiaq is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Inupiaq you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Inupiaq with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Inupiaq is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Inupiaq. Also, learning how to number in Inupiaq yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Inupiaq at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Inupiaq

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Digits from one to nine are rendered by specific words: atausiq [1], malġuk [2], piŋasut [3], sisamat [4], tallimat [5], itchaksrat [6], tallimat malġuk [7] (5+2), tallimat piŋasut [8] (5+3), and quliŋuġutaiḷaq [9].

Following a full vicesimal system, the tens are: qulit [10], iñuiññaq [20], iñuiññaq qulit [30] (20+10), malġukipiaq [40] (2*20), malġukipiaq qulit [50] (2*20+10), piŋasukipiaq [60] (3*20), piŋasukipiaq qulit [70] (3*20+10), sisamakipiaq [80] (4*20), and quliŋuġutaiḷaq [90].

From eleven to thirteen, the numbers are formed stating the word for ten (qulit), then the unit. The word for fourteen is based on fifteen (akimiaq), coming from aki- which roughly means other half. From sixteen to eighteen, the numbers are formed starting with the word for fifteen, then the unit from one to three. Nineteen is based on the word for twenty (iñuiññaq). The numbers from eleven to nineteen are: qulit atausiq [11], qulit malġuk [12], qulit piŋasut [13], akimiaġutaiḷaq [14] (15-1), akimiaq [15], akimiaq atausiq [16] (15+1), akimiaq malġuk [17] (15+2), akimiaq piŋasut [18] (15+3), and iñuiññaŋŋutaiḷaq [19] (20-1).

The compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, then the unit when the ten is either ten or a multiple of twenty (e.g.: qulit malġuk [12], iñuiññaq tallimat [25]). When the ten is based on an addition of a multiple of twenty and ten, like thirty (20+10) or fifty (2*20+10), the compound numbers are formed with the previous ten and the numbers from eleven to nineteen (e.g.: iñuiññaq akimiaq [35], piŋasukipiaq akimiaq atausiq [76]).

The word for hundred is tallimakipiaq (or qavluun) [100].

The word for thousand is kavluutit [1,000].

A grammar of Iñupiaq morphosyntax (pdf), by Linda A. Lanz

Sharing our pathways (volume 2, issue 1) (pdf)