Language Month Themes from Previous Years

2013 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2014 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2015 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2016 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2017 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2018 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2019 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  | 2020 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq | 2021 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq  |  2022 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq | 2023 Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq

Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq

The first time we held this celebration of Inuktut, it was called Inuktitut Uqauttin. That means “speaking in the Inuit way” (in the Igloolik dialect). 

Uqauttin is the traditional plural form of uqausiq (“word,” “language”). This form is still used in Greenlandic (spelled as oqaatsit), in Inupiaq and Inuvialuktun (uqautchit/uqauttit), and in other western dialects of Inuktut. This form was commonly used by previous generations in the Eastern Arctic but it is not used very much now.

We consulted with communities across Nunavut about the name. Based on those consultations, we changed the name to Uqausirmut Quviasuutiqarniq in 2005. We chose this name because it can be understood in all dialects. It means “celebration of our language.”

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tocasie Burke 
Manager of Language Revitalizaton and Promotions
Phone: (867) 975-5528 @email  

Fax: (867) 975-5523 or (867) 975-5504 or

Theresa Alikatuktuk, 
Inuktut Program Officer 
Phone: (867-975-5569) @email