Language Beyond Words: Greenlandic
Origin of Greenlandic
Greenlandic is a language spoken by the Inuit people in Greenland. The main dialect, Kalaallisut, of Western Greenland belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut family. Greenlandic is an Inuit-Yupik-Unangan (Eskimo–Aleut) language, closely related to the Inuit languages spoken in Canada (Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun) and Alaska (Inupiaq). It is polysynthetic, meaning words can be very long and express what in English would require a full sentence. Linguistic evidence suggests that Greenlandic split from the Canadian Inuit languages around 1000–1200 CE, following migrations eastward from the Canadian Arctic into Greenland.
The earliest Greenlandic spoken by the Saqqaq and Dorset cultures (before 1000 CE) has left no written records, but archaeological evidence shows a long-standing presence of Paleo-Eskimo languages.
Around 985 CE, Norse settlers arrived in southern Greenland. The Norse influence was mostly lexical (few Norse words were borrowed), but the languages remained distinct.
Greenlandic evolved into three main dialects:
- Kalaallisut (West Greenlandic) – the standard and official language today.
- Tunumiisut (East Greenlandic) – more conservative, with unique phonetic features.
- Inuktun (North Greenlandic / Thule dialect) – influenced by Canadian Inuktitut.
In the 18th century, a Danish-Norwegian missonary Hans Egede, began documenting and writing Greenlandic. Missionaries created an orthography using the Latin alphabet. Early writings were primarily religious texts, including translations of the Bible and hymns, which helped standardize parts of the language. During Danish colonization, Greenlandic remained primarily a spoken language; Danish was the language of administration and education.
Greenlandic became the official language of Greenland when it gained autonomy from Denmark in 2009. Modern Greenlandic has loaned many words from both English and Danish, but when adopting new technologies, attempts are made to construct words based on Greenlandic roots. Today, the language is regulated by the Greenland Language Committee.
Since a home rule agreement in 1979, Greenlandic is the only language used in primary schooling, causing many young people to be bilingual in both Greenlandic and Danish, while their parents are monolingual in Danish. The Greenlandic language (Kalaallisut) has approximately 57,000–60,000 native speakers worldwide. Dialects like Tunumiisut (East Greenlandic) and Inuktun (North Greenlandic / Thule) have far fewer speakers—a few hundred to a few thousand each—so the total number of speakers of all Greenlandic dialects is slightly higher but still under 65,000.
Alphabet:
The Greenlandic alphabet is very short:
A E F G I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
a e f g i j k l m n o p q r s t u v
But it uses the letters b, c, d, h, x, y, z, w, æ, ø and å to enable spelling of loan words from Danish and English.
Greenlandic Literature
Greenlandic literature begins as oral storytelling, passed down through generations such as legends and myths about spirits, the sea, hunting and heroic tales of Inuit hunters and explorers. There are many historical accounts preserved in memory, such as migrations, conflicts, and encounters with Norse settlers as well. Oral tradition was highly poetic and formulaic, with songs, chants, and storytelling used for education and entertainment. Because Greenlandic is polysynthetic, oral narratives were often long, expressive, and precise in describing environment and relationships.
A very famous Greenlandic oral story is the legend of Qivitoq. “Qivitoq” roughly translates as “the one who turned away” or “ghost” in Greenlandic. The story is about a person who leaves their community in shame, anger, or pride and becomes a ghostly figure wandering the wilderness. Qivitoq represents anger, pride, and isolation, showing how negative feelings can separate someone from society. The legend emphasizes the importance of reconciliation, humility, and social bonds. Wandering in Greenland’s harsh wilderness shows the danger and power of the natural world.
Written Greenlandic literature emerged with Danish missionaries, most notably Hans Egede (1686–1758). Key developments came from religious texts like bible translations, hymnals, catechisms, prayer books, and educational texts such as early primers and grammar guides. The earliest Greenlandic publications were in West Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) using a Latin-based alphabet. While mostly religious, these works laid the foundation for standardized spelling and literacy.
Jonathan Petersen (1875–1961): notable for translating hymns and creating early Greenlandic poetry. He composed the music to the national anthem of Greenland, Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit (Our Country, Who's Become So Old in English) and the lyrics and music of the secondary national anthem Nuna asiilasooq ("A Huge Rocky Land" in English).
Henning Jakob Henrik Lund (1875–1948) was a Greenlandic lyricist, painter, and Lutheran pastor. He wrote the lyrics to "Nunarput, utoqqarsuanngoravit," in the Indigenous Greenlandic language, an Eskimo–Aleut language. The song was adopted as the national anthem of Greenland.
Mathias Storch (1883–1957) wrote Singnagtugaq, often regarded as the first novel written entirely in the Greenlandic language, a foundational text in modern Greenlandic literature.
Mâliâraq Vebæk (1917–2012) was a pioneering Greenlandic novelist; she was the first Greenlandic woman to publish a novel, and her work won the Greenlandic Authors Association Award in 1982.
Niviaq Korneliussen is a Greenlandic writer, who writes in Greenlandic and Danish. Her 2014 debut novel, Homo Sapienne, was written in Greenlandic, as well as in a Danish translation by the author. Naasuliardarpi (2020) was her follow-up a few years later, and earned her the prestigious Nordic Council Literature Prize. Her work has been translated into over 12 languages.
Greenlandic Art
The Saqqaq, Dorset, and Thule cultures produced the earliest Greenlandic art. Art was closely tied to survival, spirituality, and storytelling, not decoration for its own sake. Bone, ivory, stone, driftwood, skin were made into small carvings, tools with decorative elements, amulets, and masks. The art of the time often had spiritual or shamanic purposes with themes such as animals (seals, whales, bears), hunting scenes, and spirits including transformation (human ↔ animal). Art was functional, symbolic, and deeply connected to nature.
Greenlandic Inuk women wearing a traditional costume or Kalaallisuut in Ilulissat from western Greenland. The costume consists of seal skin boots (Kamik/Kamiit), ornate beaded collar (Nuilaqutit), and seal skin trousers (Takisut).
Mathias Fersløv Dalager was born in the colony of Ritenbenk and he was sent to Denmark, where he later received training in drawing and painting after showing artistic talent.
Aron of Kangeq was a Greenlandic Inuk hunter, painter, and oral historian. His woodcuts and watercolors are noted for their depiction of Inuit culture and history, and the often violent encounters between Inuit and Danish settlers. His storytelling is known to children's literature in Greenland.
Isak of Igdlorpait was a Greenlandic goatherd and artist (Kalaaleq) known for his watercolors depicting life in South Greenland.
Jakob Danielsen (Kalaaleq) paints hunting scenes in Qeqertarsuaq portrayinghunting life in Kalaallit and contain a large selection of landscapes, days and seasons.
Hans Lynge paintings draw on similar themes of Greenlandic legend and mothers while having the European influence of Impressionism.
Jens Christian Rosing was a notable Greenlandic artist, author and storyteller. He designed the coat of arms of Greenland, many Greenlandic postage stamps, as well as illustrated children's books and created diverse works of art.
Aka Høegh is a notable Greenlandic painter, graphic artist, and sculptor.
Largest Island, Fermented Birds, Tectonic Motion
Greenland is the largest island in the world at over 2.16 million km² being bigger than many countries. However, its population is tiny in comparison to its landmass.
Kiviak is a traditional Greenlandic Inuit food in which whole little auks (small seabirds) are fermented inside a sealed seal. Up to 500 whole auks are packed into the seal skin, beaks, and feathers included.
Greenland is a dynamic landscape in constant motion. The data shows that as a landmass it shifts northwest by about 2 centimeters (0.79 inches) per year and is expanding and contracting in various places slowly shrinking in size.