Usage notes

The northern indigenous peoples of North America used to be called (Eskimo), but the term has fallen out of use and is considered offensive in Canada and Greenland, because it was once thought to stem from a pejorative (see ). (term) is the accepted term in Canada, and has gained some currency in the United States. However, (term) continues to be the prevalent name in Alaska for both the Inuit (Inupiat) people and the non-Inuit (Yupik). Also note that (term) and (Eskimo) do not include the related (Aleut) people ((Unangam)), nor the Indian or First Nations peoples of the Arctic. Many dictionaries do not list (Inuits) as a plural form. (term) is usually used as an ethnonym with no singular form (like (Chinese)). The need to treat (term) as a singular is obviated by wider recognition of its etymological singular form (Inuk) in recent times. The Inuit language comprises a continuum of locally-intelligible dialects, with their own variations of the name for themselves and their own language. A number of these names have official status.