According to UNESCO, Kalaallisut is categorized as a vulnerable language, and Tunumiit and Inuktun categorized as definitely endangered languages. Although Kalaallisut is fully functional throughout the country when it comes to, e.g., national issues, there are problems with communicating, e.g., technology and economics. This is an issue, as a significant part of the Greenlandic population relies on information in their native tongue as very few in the old generation master Danish or English. Establishing the ability to search and find information in Greenlandic languages would significantly open the ocean of knowledge that the internet contains to the entire population, and support the survival of Kalaallisut long term.
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Each festival will focus on one language at risk of disappearing listed in UNESCO’s Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger. The 2020 edition will be in support of Kalaallisut. Kalaallisut is referred to as the official language of Greenland and is also a dialect spoken primarily on the western coast of the country. The amount of people speaking a Greenlandic language is estimated to be around 50.000, divided into three main dialects:
Kalaallisut (West-Greenlandic) 44.000 speakers
Tunumiit (East-Greenlandic) 3.000 speakers
Inuktun (North-Greenlandic) 800 speakers