Kalaallisut is a member of the
Inuit–Yupik–Unangan (Eskaleut) language family, which stretches across the Arctic from Siberia to Greenland. It is a member of the
Inuit branch of the
language family. Kalaallisut is one of three Inuit languages within Greenland, alongside
Tunumiisut (East Greenlandic) and
Inuktun (North Greenlandic or Polar Inuit). West Greenlandic has the most speakers of the three. The
standard form of
Greenlandic is based on Kalaallisut as spoken in the central west coast of Greenland. This region includes the capital
Nuuk,
Sisimiut, and
Maniitsoq, some of the most populated cities of Greenland.
Dialects of Kalaallisut There are four main dialects of Kalaallisut, spoken in different regions of the west coast. From south to north, they are: Southern, Central, Northern, and Upernavik. Southern Kalaallisut is spoken from
Nanortalik to
Paamiut. Central Kalaallisut is spoken from
Nuuk to
Sisimiut. Northern Kalaallisiut is spoken from the
Disko Bay communities north to
Uummannaq. Upernavik, the northernmost dialect of West Greenlandic, is spoke in the town of
Upernavik. North of Upernavik, Tunumiisut is spoken, which not considered part of the West Greenlandic
dialect continuum. ==Relationship with Danish==