Story of the day: On the edge in West Greenland

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It’s a journey back in time to end the week.

This is an old story from Wanderlust magazine, a feature that launched a lot of commissions even if it didn’t all go smoothly at the time.

Here’s an extract:

Frederik was laughing at my pronunciation. “Siku,” he said. “That means ice in Greenlandic.”

“Then there’s Sirmirsuaq. And sikursuit. They mean ice too.”

Sikurlaaq. Sikuaq. Siirsinniq. They’re all tongue-twisting variations on the same theme.

In fact, more than a dozen Greenlandic words for ice exist – most of them comprising such odd juxtapositions of consonants and vowels that, should they ever make a Greenlandic version of Countdown, there’ll be some serious overtime in Dictionary Corner.

Read the full story, The Future of Greenland.

Have you visited West Greenland? What are your experiences of handling stories in remote communities?

Post your comments below.

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