Ilaaniungituq...I have heard this word from Nunavik dialect since 1971 when we got Anik Satellite on CBC. Id hear it said by Inuit of Nunavik at meetings, Inuit Tapiriiksat of Canada AGMs or ICC Conferences or on CBC Radio. I always wondered if they meant ilaanniunngittuq not all the time in our dialect. And sometimes it doesnt comform to the discussion at hand, in my DIALECT. One day four years ago I was chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings within our Inuit Nunangat. We flew from Montreal to Inukjuaq on Air Inuit. In front of me at the back of the chair was Inuktitut Sign Ilaaniungituq..una inuqaliriiqtuq. I asked Robbie Watt, what Ilaaniungituq means. He said sorry. The translation for the reserve card is Sorry, this seat is already occupied. Well, it took me over 30 years to learn the meaning. I like it. I keep the word. In our dialect we say: Mamianaq.
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 15:34:00 +0000