Overview

Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik is part of the Dene-Athabaskan language family. It is also spoken in parts of Yukon and Alaska where the Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik spelling is more common.

In 2019, there were 290 speakers in the NWT.

Speakers in the Northwest Territories may refer to Gwichʼin or its alternative spelling Kutchin, or one of its dialects/sub-dialects:

• Teetł’it Gwichʼin (Fort McPherson)
• Gwichya Gwichʼin (Tsiigehtchic)

In earlier decades, the term Loucheux was used by the French and Tukudh by Anglican missionaries.

Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik is the primary Indigenous language spoken in:

• Fort McPherson
• Tsiigehtchic

There is also a significant number of people who speak Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik in:

• Inuvik
• Aklavik

International Standards Organization (ISO) code

• Gwichʼın – GWI

Orthographic conventions

Diacritics

• Grave (low tone): ◌̀
• Ogonek (nasalization): ◌̨
• Unlike other Dene languages, Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik retains the tittle (dot) on «i».

Consonants

Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik uses the apostrophe «ʼ» instead of the character «ɂ» for a glottal stop. Its orthography also contains many more di- and trigraphs than other Dene languages as it was developed separately and converged with orthographies in Alaska and Yukon.

Vowels and diphthongs

Words and Phrases

Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik Resources

• Greetings
• Introductions