Here are some hints to help you identify the syllables in Alutiiq words.

When two consonants appear side by side, they will be in different syllables. Separate the syllables between the two consonants.

Example word:

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In English, we differentiate between singular (one thing) and plural (two or more things) by adding an s; seal becomes seals. In the Alutiiq language, there are different endings for singular, dual (2), as well as plural (three or more) nouns.

As a general rule, singular words in Alutiiq end in q, dual words end in k, and plural words end in t.

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When people are spread out over a landscape, their separation over time will lead do differences in how they speak. The Eskimoan languages are related to eachother from the Alutiiq region all the way to Greenland, but are more similar the closer they are together, since neighbors have more opportunity to interact. This pattern is true on a smaller scale as well within the Alutiiq Nation.

Kodiak Alutiiq and Alaska Peninsula Alutiiq are part of the Koniag Alutiiq dialect of the Alutiiq language. Kodiak Alutiiq could be considered a sub dialect because there are some words used on the Kodiak Archipelago that are not used on the Alaska Peninsula, and vice versa. On an even smaller scale, there are sub-sub dialects within the Kodiak Archapelago. It is well known among speakers that people from Afognak and Karluk have a slightly different way of speaking than those from the southern part of the island. Speakers can actually tell what village someone is from by the way they speak Alutiiq. Though all of these "micro dialects" are part of the greater Alutiiq Language, it is important to preserve them as well. These regional variations are part of what makes our language beautiful.

Because of prolonged Russian contact on Kodiak Island, hundreds of Russian words have been integrated into our language (Leer 1978). This influence is particularly pronounced on Afognak island.

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Creating verb stems is similar to creating noun stems. You must find the stem of a verb before you can add the proper suffix and construct a sentence. In the Alutiiq language there are two types of verbs: transitive, and intransitive. The main difference is that transitive verbs have action directed at a specific object (him, her, or it), while intransitive verbs do not have a specific object, or are directed at ones-self or one another.

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