Details

General

Morphemic form: N{(q)cuaq}N
New orthography: +suaq, -rsuaq
Old orthography: -ssuaĸ, '-ssuaĸ, -rssuaĸ
Combinations: Click here
Variants: V{(q)cuaq}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
ə-eliding,
Right sandhi:
/aq/ drop,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Regular q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This is a highly productive affix meaning 'big N' or 'bad N', with either meaning possibly having connotations of the other. The meaning 'big' (without 'bad') seems to be with names and non-living entities (e.g. houses, mountains etc.), whereas the meaning 'bad' (possibly with connotations of 'big') seems to be with living entities (e.g. dogs).

Besides being very common, the affix also has an uncommon combination of sandhi rules: It is a regular q-stem (which is rare), so consonant-initial endings are added to the final /q/, and it takes N{-up} and {-it} endings, just like most k-stems. However, it also has aq-drop before all vowel-initial endings, which therefore includes the aforementioned N{-up} and {-it}, thus giving it a very peculiar behaviour pattern.


Left sandhi:

On tə-stems it it may (optionally) elide /ə/ and be affixed directly to /t/, e.g. {aputə}N, 'snow' ⇒ apussuaq (rather than the usual aputersuaq).


Right sandhi:

This stem displays aq-drop before all vowel-initial endings, and also before N{-u}V. See also N{ŋŋuaq}N and V{galuaq}N, which behave similarly.


Inflection sandhi:

The stem is up-declined, and thus drops /aq/ before N{-up} and N{-it}, as well as before all other vowel-initial endings, but otherwise it behaves regularly. In other words, with consonant-initial endings, it behaves like a regular q-stem, but with vowel-initial endings (and the affix N{-u}V), it behaves like a regular k-stem {(q)cuk}. This is in contrast to the two other, similarly behaving affixes, N{ŋŋuaq}N and V{galuaq}N, which are both weak q-stems.


Inflection

Declension pattern
Declension type: up-declined
Declension sandhi: Default/none

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography +(r)suar +(r)su
+(r)suaq
+(r)suup
+(r)suit
Phonemic orthography (q)cuaq (q)cu
(q)cuaq
(q)cuup
(q)cuit


Meanings and examples

Sometimes (but not always) with negative connotations of 'bad N' if used on living entities.

  • illorsuaq, a big house
  • qimmersuaq, a big dog

    Can also be 'a bad dog'.

  • illorsuuvoq, it is a big house

    From {əŋlu}N{(q)cuaq}N{-u}V{vuq}. The example illustrates that /aq/ also drops before N{-u}V.

  • ipussuaq, a big oar
    [8]

    From {iputə}N, 'oar', i.e. a tə-stem, with optional elision of /ə/.

  • Kaalersuaq, Charlemagne
    [8]

    Or 'the big Carl'.

  • sialussuaq, a great downpour
    [8]

    Or 'rain-storm' etc.

  • taarsuaq, a great darkness
    [8]

  • nunarsuaq, a vast land
    [4]

    It can also mean 'the world'.

  • kuussuaq, a great river
    [4]

If used on living entities, the meaning of 'bad' rather than 'big' seems to be more natural.

  • meerarsuaq, a bad child
    [4]

    The connotation 'big' obviously does not make sense here.

  • qimmersuaq, a bad dog
    [4]

  • angussuaq, a (big) bad man
    [4]

    From {aŋutə}, 'man', i.e. a tə-stem, with optional elision of /ə/.

  • qitornarsuannguarput, our dear, bad child
    [4]

    With N{ŋŋuaq}N for endearment.

On nouns indicating a state of being or direction. In the latter case, it may even be added onto stems with prepositional or possessive endings, and thus rather resemble an enclitic than an affix.

  • Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit, Our land, because thou have become so very old

    Opening line of the Greenlandic national anthem. Here, the affix is added to utoqqaq, 'old', and is used to emphasise this (rendered as 'so very') in the translation.

  • Avannarsuaq, The far North

    From the directional stem avannaq, 'north'. This is the Greenlandic name for the Qaanaaq region.

  • samanersuaq, far out to the west
    [4]

    From samani, 'far out at sea', which corresponds to west in West Greenland. This is a declined, demonstrative root; hence, here the affix behaves more like an enclitic.

  • qavungarsuaq, far down southwards
    [4]

    From qavunga, 'southwards', which is a declined, demonstrative root; hence, here the affix behaves more like an enclitic.

  • avanngarsuaq, from far in the north
    [4]

    From avannga, 'from north', which is a declined, demonstrative root; hence, here the affix behaves more like an enclitic.


References