Details
General
| Morphemic form: | N{-kasik}N (Combinations) |
| New orthography: | -kasik |
| Proto-eskimoic root: | kapcak(-) |
| Variants: | N{-kapsak}N, V{-kasik}V |
| Morpheme type: | Nominal modifier |
| Left sandhi: | Sandhi-truncative |
| Right sandhi: | None |
Description
Form and usage:
This is the common form of this affix in most of West Greenland, albeit the variant N{-kapsak}N is more common in North Greenland. The affix seems to be used in an almost exclamatory sense, and thus mostly (or only?) in the Absolutive singular. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) even gives examples of it being added onto completed words (including endings) like an enclitic, rather than as a nominal affix. However, this seems to be non-standard usage, so we omit these examples.
Declension information
| Stem type: | Regular k-stem |
| Declension type: | up-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Regular |
The declension is not documented anywhere but it is presumably regular with up-declension. The affix seems to be seldom used outside of the Absolutive singular, so we omit the declension pattern.
Meaning(s)
| Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| bad/poor/pathetic N | Can be used to signal modesty. With names, the meaning is a mixture of endearment and disdain. | Examples |