In Arctic, a search for the right words (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

In Arctic, a search for the right words
Inuit translators, elders to develop terms to describe climate change
issues

By BOB WEBER
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 Page A10
Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051004/ARCTIC04/TPNational/Canada

They may have 20 words for snow, but they're short of terms for ozone
layer and greenhouse gas.

Inuit translators and elders from across the Arctic will meet today to
develop standard words to allow speakers of northern aboriginal
languages to talk about the accelerating global warming of their
homeland.

"We don't have any terminologies per se in Inuktitut right now when we
focus on climate change," said David Akeeagok, of Nunavut's Department
of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.

"What we want to do is ensure that there are standard words in English
and Inuktitut, for climate change especially. That way the hunters can
talk to the scientists on the same wavelength, where both of them have
very valuable information that they'd like to share."

Recent studies suggest the Arctic is experiencing the effects of climate
change both earlier and more intensely than other parts of the globe --
so fast that northern languages can't keep up.

Inuktitut, for example, has no standardized terms for the concepts of
biodiversity, the Gulf Stream or shoreline erosion.

Even the term climate change presents problems. When scientists use it,
it refers to everything from changing local weather or ice conditions
to rising temperatures around the globe.

Inuktitut doesn't have a broad, overarching meaning for the term, Mr.
Akeeagok said.

"So when somebody mentions climate change, somebody might end up saying
the weather changes or ice conditions change, when it refers to the
global [changes]."

Interpreters and Inuktitut speakers have improvised words or phrases as
needed. But without a common standard vocabulary, misunderstandings
arise.

"That's when frustration takes place and you see the divide of the
scientific world and the Inuit world."

This week's four-day workshop will cover Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun,
spoken in the Western Arctic, as well as various dialects of both
languages.

"This will open up more communications when it comes to climate change,"
said James Eetoolook of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Inuit land claim
organization co-sponsoring the workshop.

"The Inuit will be more involved."

Mr. Eetoolook said workshop participants hope to develop a glossary of
200 Inuktitut words with precise meanings and English equivalents.

The goal is to have it developed in time for the United Nations climate
change conference scheduled for Montreal in November and December,
allowing Inuit representatives to better represent their concerns.

"If we don't get involved, we see the effects, but don't have the input
to it," Mr. Akeeagok said.

The workshop is only the latest in a number of such efforts to keep
Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun relevant and usable in today's world.

Last year, a similar workshop was held to come up with Inuktitut terms
for financial accounting and business. And even before Nunavut was
created in 1999, a conference was held to develop words for southern
legal and political concepts.

Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut. Statistics Canada figures
show more than 70 per cent of the territory's 25,500 Inuit speak it, a
figure consistent across all age groups.