Greenland: language inequalities in external and internal dynamics of marginalisation

The linguistic situation in Greenland offers a revealing case of how [colonial dynamics](https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/midas/greenland-the-colonial-scars) can persist even in contexts that have undergone significant political transformation. While the island has achieved a [high degree of autonomy](https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/midas/greenlands-autonomy-nothing-about-us-without-us) from Denmark and has formally elevated western Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) to the status of official language, the distribution of linguistic power tells a more complex story. Two intertwined dynamics shape this landscape: the continued dominance of Danish in key institutional domains, and the internal marginalisation of other Greenlandic varieties such as Tunumiisut and Inuktun.

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Publication Details

Journal
Eurac Research Blogs
Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57708/bddfkaxx8rbmaw7kmo3az2w
Primary Topic
Multilingual Education and Policy
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Greenland: language inequalities in external and internal dynamics of marginalisation

Mattia Zeba
Eurac Research Blogs
Multilingual Education and Policy
article

Greenland: language inequalities in external and internal dynamics of marginalisation

Mattia Zeba
article en

Abstract

The linguistic situation in Greenland offers a revealing case of how [colonial dynamics](https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/midas/greenland-the-colonial-scars) can persist even in contexts that have undergone significant political transformation. While the island has achieved a [high degree of autonomy](https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/midas/greenlands-autonomy-nothing-about-us-without-us) from Denmark and has formally elevated western Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) to the status of official language, the distribution of linguistic power tells a more complex story. Two intertwined dynamics shape this landscape: the continued dominance of Danish in key institutional domains, and the internal marginalisation of other Greenlandic varieties such as Tunumiisut and Inuktun.

Eurac Research Blogs
Eurac Research (IT)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Multilingual Education and Policy
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