Every time Johnassie Kudluarok hears his students use the word “maqaitu-ing” in Inuktitut, it admittedly drives him “nuts.” “What does ‘maqaitu-ing’ mean? Where did that ‘-ing’ come from?” he wonders.

Richard Compton receives funding in the form of research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He holds the Canada Research Chair in Transmission and Knowledge of ...