Sallirmiutun

=Introduction=

Sallirmiutun, or commonly known as Siglitun, is a dialect of Inuvialuktun spoken in Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, and Sachs Harbour of Northwest Territories, Canada, as well as one of seventeen core sub-languages spoken by Inuit across the Arctic. It is part of the Inuvialuktun with neighboring Uummarmiutun and Kangiryuarmiutun with very similar linguistic features. The language known as the Inuvialuktun-Proper or Standard Inuvialuktun as it is the largest and predominant dialect in Inuvialuktun.

Sallirmiutun, once the predominant dialect of the Mackenzie River delta, adjacent coastal areas, and Arctic Ocean islands, experienced a significant decline in speakers during the 19th century due to outbreaks of new diseases. For many years, it was widely believed that Sallirmiutun had become extinct. However, in the 1980s, outsiders discovered that the language was still spoken, albeit by a reduced number of individuals.

The term "Sallirmiutun" translates to "the language of the people of the coast," specifically referring to the Beaufort Sea. This dialect is the original language of the Kitigaaryuit people.

As one of the three dialects, alongside Kangiryuarmiutun and Uummarmiutun, forming the Inuit language group collectively known as Inuvialuktun, Sallirmiutun holds a special significance. Interestingly, the term "Inuvialuktun," meaning "the language of the real people," is itself a word from the Sallirmiutun dialect.

=Background=

Inuvialuktun, a language native to Canada, is primarily spoken in the Northwest Territories under the designation "Inuvialuktun." It belongs to the Eskimo–Aleut language family, specifically within the Inuit branch. More specifically, it is categorized under Siglitun, which is a specific sub-dialect within the Inuvialuktun language. Tracing its roots back to early linguistic forms such as Proto-Eskimo–Aleut, Proto-Eskimo, and Proto-Inuit, Inuvialuktun is part of the broader Eskimo–Aleut language family. Despite its cultural and regional importance, Inuvialuktun does not have a specific ISO 639-3 code, and its linguistic classification can be found under the Glottolog entry with the code "sigl1242."

=Phonology=

The phonology of the Siglitun dialect is outlined as follows:

Vowels

-Front: /i/

-Back: /u/

-Open: /a/

Additionally, the vowel sounds /i u/ may manifest as allophones, perceived as [ɪ ʊ].

Consonants

-Labial: /m p b/

-Alveolar: /n t d/

-Palatal: /tʃ/

-Velar: /ŋ k ɣ/

-Uvular: /q ʁ/

-Fricative: /v s ɬ j/

-Approximant: /l/

Moreover, the sound /j/ can be perceived either as a palatal glide [j] or a fricative [ʝ].

=History=

Sallirmiutun is the first spoken Inuit languages in Canada as well as the first formed dialect of Inuvialuktun. Formed around 800 to 600 years ago in Mackenzie Delta in Northwest Territories, the language primarily served as the transitioning language as the settlers continued their journey to the east. In addition, as Sallirmiutun-speaking regions were located at the narrow choke point where the Arctic Tree Line and the Arctic Coast when extremely proximate to each other, the language quickly developed into language of communication and dipolmacy inter and intra-relationships of Inuit.

Thanks to its narrow and precise location, the language was influeced by various Inuit and non-Inuit languages. In terms of Inuit, the language was located at the transitional zones between Iñupiatun and Canadian Inuit languages, maintaining the features from the both languages. Additionally, the language also absorbed many of vocabularies and mechanics from neighboring First Nations like Gwich'in who shared the Mackenzie Delta with.

=Dialects=

Tagiugmiutun is not typically subdivided into subdialects. However, the localistic differences may exist amongst four modern settlements.

=Ethnic Groups= Of around 120 ethnic subgroups of Inuit, nine subgroups in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories, Canada traditionally spoke Tagiugmiutun: Kuukpangmiut, Kitigaryumiut, Qikitaryungmiut, Avvarmiut, Imaryungmiut, Nuvugarmiut, Anderson River Sallirmiut, Igluyuaryungmiut, Banks Island Sallirmiut

=Orthography= Though with distinctions and differences within subdialects, Sallirmiutun uses Latin Alphabets primarily with distinctions.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" ! A a || B b || Ch ch || G g || I i || Dj dj || K k || L l || Ł ł || M m ! N n || Ng ng || P p || Q q || R r || S s || T t || V v || Y y || '
 * + Sallirmiutun Alphabet