Culture & Etiquette

1. Kalaallit qanoq inuupput?

   Ka-laal-lit qa-noq i-nuup-put?

   How do people in Greenland live?

   Usage

   Ask about lifestyle in Greenland

   Grammar Note

   Inuuvoq means is alive, lives or is born; the third-person plural is -pput. Kalaallit is the endonym, while Grønlandimiit is Danish-derived. Inissaqarpoq is ini (room) + -qar-, meaning has space, rather than lives.

2. Assiliisinnaavunga?

   As-si-lii-sin-naa-vun-ga?

   May I take a photo?

   Usage

   Ask permission to photograph at a sacred or cultural site

   Grammar Note

   assiliivoq (tager et billede) = takes a photo. The ability affix -sinnaa- doubles as a way of asking permission; with the 1sg ending -vunga it means "may I take one?". A photograph itself is assi.

3. Inuit nunaat

   I-nu-it nu-naat

   Land of the Inuit (alternative name for Greenland)

   Usage

   Learn the indigenous cultural name for Greenland

   Grammar Note

   "nunaat" = "nuna" (land) + "at" (3rd person plural possessor), "their land"; Inuit nunaat is "land of the Inuit". "Our land" would be nunatta. Greenland's self-gov. is Kalaallit Nunaat (the same pattern)

4. Kulturikkut najoqqutassiaq mikisoq

   Kul-tu-rik-kut na-joq-qu-tas-si-aq mi-ki-soq

   A small cultural guide

   Usage

   Request a cultural guide

   Grammar Note

   For "guide", the booklet is X-mut najoqqutassiaq and the person is takornarianik nassuiaassisoq. Here, with "small" added, the booklet pattern is used, with takornarianut replaced by kulturikkut

5. Qujanaq inussiarnersaarnermut.

   Qu-ja-naq i-nus-si-ar-ner-saar-ner-mut.

   Thank you for the traditional hospitality

   Usage

   Thank someone for traditional Greenlandic hospitality

   Grammar Note

   Hospitality is inussiarnersaarneq / inoroorsaarneq. The thing one is thankful for is marked with the allative (qujanaq ilissinniinninnut! "thanks for the lodging!")

6. Inuiaqatigiit ilisimasaanni

   I-nu-i-a-qa-ti-giit i-li-si-ma-saan-ni

   In community knowledge

   Usage

   Refer to collective community knowledge in Greenlandic culture

   Grammar Note

   ilisimasat means "knowledge; learning". ilisimatusarneq shares the root but means "research", not knowledge itself (ilisimatusarpoq "does research"; ilisimatusarfik "university")

7. Kalaallit Nunaat pillugu paasissutissiisarpugut.

   Ka-laal-lit Nu-naat pil-lu-gu paa-sis-su-tis-sii-sar-pu-gut.

   We provide information about Greenland

   Usage

   Used at tourist or cultural information centers

   Grammar Note

   paasissutissaq is "information"; with -si- (give), the habitual -sar- and 1pl -pugut it means "we provide information". An information desk is paasissutissiisarfik.

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