Lesson 4.

We are almost home! Start using your new skills

If you worked through all the exercises in the preceding chapters you will by now be in a situation where no Greenlandic word is beyond your pronunciation capacity. We have covered everything.

But of course you still need to practice to make it fluent enough and you need to learn what all the words mean and do. We'll take the first step into that world in the next chapter.

Today, the aim is to revise our learning up till this point and to fine-tune it. In order to do so we will:

1. Sing a song since the melody helps pronunciation very much

2. Work our way through 10 mini dialogues with everyday language

3. Return to Tikaajaat's introduction and make sure that we now are able to repeat everything she said without problems.

Nuilersup qilaap

Here are the first and the last stanza of Hans Lynge's beloved poem:

Nuilersup qilaap seqinersuata akisunnerata

uisikkunigit timmiaarannguit ima torlortarai:

Sululinnguuvutit. Qaa qangattarsarit!

...

Asagamma qujallunga pakkullagit iperassanatit

asasannguara ima taagugara: Seqininnguara

anoraannguara, aasannguara!

The mini dialogues

You will use the following sentences for two purposes: First and foremost as material for practising pronunciation but you will also learn the short sentences by heart as the first input to your vocabulary. Do not bother to try to analyse the sentences in this phase. Just learn to use them. We will soon enough spend lots of energy on understanding and analysing.

1. Qanoq ateqarpit? Tikamik ateqarpunga. ('What's your name? My name is Tika')

2. Tiitorusuppit? Massakkuunngitsoq ('Would you like tea? Not now.')

3. Ataasinnguartorusuppit? Qujaannarpunga ('Would you like a drink? Thank you all the same')

4. Qanga tikippit? Ippassaq ('When did you arrive? Yesterday')

5. Qaqugu aallaqqissavit? Aqaguagu ('When do you leave again? The day after tomorrow')

6. Utoqqatserpunga! Ajunngilaq ('I'm sorry! It's OK')

7. Qanoq ippit? Ajunngilanga ('How are you? I'm fine')

8. Per takuiuk? Aap, pisiniarfimmi naapippara ('Have you seen Per? Yes, I met him in the shop')

9. Neriartorniarit! Piffissaqanngilanga ('Come and eat! I haven't got time')

10. Pikkoreqaatit! Qujanaq ('You're good! Thank you')

Tikaajaat's welcome

The task to follow is far from an easy one but if you keep focused and give it the effort needed you will be able to meet the demands.

1. Listen closely to Tikaajaats welcome again and write down her words on paper.

2. When you are happy with your achievement check it with the key that is included on the DVD and in the booklet. If you have less than a few dozens of spelling mistakes you have the right to be very proud of yourself!!!

3. Leave the key open and keep on listening till all your mistakes are corrected.

4. Read the text aloud a few times while you make an effort not only to utter the sounds but also an effort to read in agreement with the tonal patterns you just learned.

5. Finally, return to Tikaajaat on the DVD and repeat her welcome word by word or a few words at the time. Make sure that you know where to find the pause-button.