Diversity

Expanding Greenlandic Language to Support 2SLGBTQIA+ Terminology and challenging the colonial heteronormativity

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Billede1

Greenlandic is a language which is rich in cultural heritage, and it is currently evolving to be more inclusive by developing words and terms for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This is a big step, enabling all queer Inuits in Greenland to express themselves in their native language.

Last year, Sipineq+ (a volunteer association for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Greenland) started this important work. They teamed up with three volunteer translators to create a list of 132 words and terms which cover the wide range of identities and experiences in the 2SLGBTQIA+ spectrum. They collaborated continuously and discussed their suggestions on what these terms could be in Greenlandic and they explained the meaning to our volunteer translators. This helped the translators to … ↪

Around the world on International Mother Language Day

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IMG 9582 1024x683 1

International Mother Language Day was celebrated for the first time in 2000 following the 1999 UNESCO initiative. The aim is to preserve cultural and linguistic diversity as well as multilingualism.

According to UNESCO, differences in language and culture must be maintained in order to promote tolerance and respect. Every mother tongue contains unique ways of thinking and expressing itself and provides access to the special culture and traditions of a language community. Every two weeks, a language and its cultural and intellectual heritage disappear, leaving at least 43% of the approx. 6-7000 languages ​​spoken in the world threatened. A similar proportion of people’s known possibilities for structuring their thoughts and their world are thus in danger, and if they disappear, … ↪