Inuktitut Alphabet | ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᒋᑦ
The Inuktitut alphabet uses Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, a unique writing system where each character represents a syllable.
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About the Inuktitut Alphabet
Inuktitut uses Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics, a writing system where each character represents a consonant-vowel syllable. The orientation of the character indicates the vowel sound. This unique system was created specifically for Indigenous Canadian languages and is one of the few indigenous writing systems in active use in North America.
History
Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics were created by James Evans, a Methodist missionary, in the 1840s for the Cree language. The system was later adapted for Inuktitut in the 1870s by Edmund Peck. It became widely used across the Canadian Arctic and is now one of the official writing systems for Inuktitut in Nunavut.
Key Features
- Written from left to right
- Syllabic writing system
- Character orientation indicates vowel
- Created in 1840s
- Adapted for Inuktitut in 1870s
- Official script in Nunavut