Details
General
| Morphemic form: | N{ŋŋuaq}N (Combinations) |
| New orthography: | -nnguaq |
| Proto-eskimoic root: | ŋ(ŋ)uðaʀ(-) |
| Variants: |
V{ŋŋuaq}V
|
| Morpheme type: | Nominal modifier |
| Left sandhi: | Default (additive, epenthetic or phonotactically truncative) |
| Right sandhi: | aq-dropping |
Description
Form and usage:
This stem is aq-dropping before all vowel-initial endings, and also before N{-u}V. See also N{(q)cuaq}N and N{galuaq}N which behave similarly with vowel-initial endings.
Declension information
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
| Declension type: | up-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Regular |
| ABS.sg | ERG.sg | ERG.pl | ALL.sg | ABS.3sg/sg | Special forms |
| New orthography |
-nnguaq |
nnguup |
-nnguit |
-nnguamut |
-nngua |
|
| Phonemic notation |
ŋŋuaq |
ŋŋuup |
ŋŋuit |
ŋŋuamut |
ŋŋua |
|
Notes on declension:
The stem is up-declined, and thus drops /aq/ before N{-up} and N{-it}, as well as before all other vowel-initial endings; thus, with vowel-initial endings it behaves like a regular k-stem {ŋŋuk}. With consonant-initial endings it behaves like an ordinary weak q-stem.
Meaning(s)
| Meaning |
Notes |
|
| little (cute) N |
With connotations of cute/sweet/dear. It is a very common affix used for endearment and in names, but rarely with plain objects (like a rock, a house, a dog etc.), unless they have some significance to the speaker; to express the plain meaning of 'small N', without the connotations of affection/dear/cute, N{-araq}N would be used instead. |
Examples |
| right/just |
With spatial nouns, to express 'right above N', 'just below N' etc. |
Examples |