Recently we were asked to perform a translation for a language that we had never encountered before – the Yup’ik language. In the research stage of providing translation services for our client, we learned quite a bit about the Yupik people, Yupik culture, and of course Yup’ik words…
The Yup’ik Language
by Thomas Kennedy
In what language can you say ‘he goes seal-hunting with a small sled and kayak during spring’ all in one word (qamigartuq)? Why, Yupi’k, of course!
We’ve talked about the Yup’ik language, spoken by natives of central Alaska, before when we were requested to provide Yup’ik translation services for documents. As we learned, there’s more to this language than first meets the eye. For one thing, Yup’ik contains many words that just don’t have close correspondents in English.
Learning the Yup’ik Language
Like any language, Yup’ik has rich diversity in words to describe everyday occurrences and objects. One of the beautiful things about different languages is that they often have words or phrases that describe concepts or specific items where your own native tongue does not.
The Yup’ik language is no different, as you can see in the following words:
Some Yup’ik words seem very broad in meaning:
Qelta | fish scale, bark of tree, eggshell, peel |
Ella | world, outdoors, weather, universe, awareness, and sense |
yuuguq | he got out of a boat or sled; took off clothing; removed a net or snare; took objects out of a container |
Others are more specific:
araq | ash made from birch tree fungus or other special plant products then mixed with chewing tobacco |
caqinraq | skin or pelt of caribou taken just after the long winter hair has been shed in spring |
pug’uq | it (a fish or seal) came to the surface, emerging halfway |
mangirruq | it (a dog) is chewing on frozen food, or on the ice where food has frozen on the surface of the snow |
qatnguq | half sibling through a formerly traditional spouse borrowing relationship |
Qellukaq | aged seal flipper |
Alrapaq | back to back sitting partner |
And some are entirely unique:
muruuq | he sank in (mud, snow, etc.) put on boots without liners |
Tage- | to go ashore, go up any gradual incline, move back from the center of attention |
Language Translates into Culture
Perhaps though it shouldn’t be surprising that the language of arctic hunter gatherers would differ from one that evolved in an agrarian society on a temperate island. Just as Englishmen found the need for a number of terms: calf, cow, bull, steer, ox, heifer, and cattle for different forms of the same species of animals, so too did the Yup’ik create words to fit their culture and environment.
Not only do the words themselves but also the forms they take differ in Yup’ik. For example, in English, we have distinct forms for talking about one (1) thing, i.e. the singular, and a different form when talking about two (2) or more things, i.e. the plural. Thus we say “1 kayak”,”2 kayaks”, “3 kayaks”, or 4 kayaks”. In Yup’ik, there is another form, the dual, used just for two things. Thus qayaq (1) kayak, qayak (2) kayaks, qayat (three or more) kayaks.
Nouns Can Have Tenses? | Yup’ik Language
Nouns in Yup’ik don’t just have the three number forms, they also have tenses. In English, you don’t have to say “I sailed in the past” because the verb form already indicates that the action took place in the past. On the other hand, if you wanted to talk about a boat that you didn’t have anymore (for example, because it sank,) you would have to say something like “my former boat” because nouns don’t have tense in English.
Not so in Yup’ik. For example, the Yup’ik word for sled has three different tenses to indicate when you owned it:
ikamraqa “sled” has a past ikamralqa “my former sled” and even a future tense ikamarkaqa “my future sled”
You can see the same with the word for wife:
nuliaqa “my wife” nulialqa “my late wife; my ex-wife” and nuliarkaqa “my wife to be”.
This and That…
Yup’ik words even for “this” and “that” (i.e. demonstratives) are strange by English standards. Yup’ik not only has words for pointing out something located near the speaker (“this”) or the listener (that) but also words for pointing out, for example, “this thing downriver” or “this thing up-slope”.
The Yup’ik language then further subdivides these location words to distinguish between things which are or are not present, and, what can be seen fully in one glance from that which can be seen but is too large or too fast so that it takes more than one glance to capture completely.
Yup’ik Names For Your Dog
For those interested in learning this fascinating language, the University of Alaska in Fairbanks offers a Bachelor’s degree in Yup’ik language and culture. For those of you who just want a taste, below is a list of Yup’ik words that can be used to name your dog. Each name describes a particular aspect or character trait which the dog owner may wish to emphasize.
Which would you name your dog?
Yup’ik Name / English Name
arrluk / ‘killer whale’
cikuq / ‘ice’
cupun / ‘coal’
ataneq / ‘king’
kuk’uq / ‘animal’ (children’s word)
mequssuk / ‘shaggy dog’
negili / ‘parka ruff’
panik / ‘daughter’
pukulria / ‘bone chewer’
qimugkauyar / ‘puppy’
qimugta / ‘dog puller’
taqukaq / ‘grizzly bear’
tulukaruk / ‘crow’
tungulria / ‘black one’
yuralria / ‘dancing one’
About the Author
Thomas Kennedy is a graduate of UMass Amherst in Linguistics. He is fluent in several languages and is currently working as a Project Manager of Interpreting and Translation at Language Connections.
About Language Connections:
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