The Department is committed to the development of all of Nunavut’s official languages as well as to working toward the implementation of Inuktitut as the working language of the Government of Nunavut.

One of our on-going language initiatives is the development of the living dictionary, or Asuilaak. This on-line dictionary is already one of the most comprehensive sources of information on Inuktitut, with over 80,000 words, definitions and English and French translations.

The Department also hosts terminology workshops for the development of both Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun terms. To date, workshops have focused on Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut terms for finance and statistics.  The terms developed are currently under review and are awaiting final approval.  The public is welcome to review the terms and pass along their comments and suggestions.  The next terminology workshop is planned for the fall of 2003 and will deal with Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun job titles.

The Department also has Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun Language Researchers who look for older words that are rarely used and who document their meanings to ensure that these pieces of the Inuit language are not lost forever.

In 2003, the Department held the first government Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun Language Awards. The public was invited to nominate people from their community who they felt contributed greatly to the preservation and promotion of the traditional Inuit languages. This years winners were: Gwen Ohokak of Cambridge Bay for her work on developing an Inuinnaqtun dictionary and Eelee Higgins of Iqaluit for her work in teaching Inuktitut. Nomination forms for the 2005 awards will be available mid-October and the winners will be announced during Language Week, which will be the last week of February.

The Department also has funding available for individuals and non-profit groups to organize language events in their communities.

In 2003, for example, the non-profit Inuit Broadcasting Corporation received $30,000 from the department to produce Iyunnarqiun, a television show focusing on the unique humour of Inuit in Nunavut.