Details

General


Morphemic form: N{-kutlak}N
New orthography: -kullak
Old orthography: -kutdlak
Sources:
[9]
[10]
[13]
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Truncative,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Regular k-stem

Description and behaviour


Form and usage:

This affix is a nominal variant of V{-kutlak}V, but the meaning seems to have changed over time:


Inflection


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

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -kullak -kulla
-kullak
-kullaap
-kullaat
Phonemic orthography -kutlak -kutla
-kutlak
-kutlaup
-kutlait

Notes on declension:

This affix is not listed in Ordbogeeraq [11] , but that dictionary instead gives a nominalising variant, which inflects like a regular, up-declined k-stem. Presumably, the present affix inflects in the same way.


Meanings and examples


This is the meaning given by Schultz-Lorentzen [10] . However, this meaning may not be productive nowadays.

  • issusuukullak, a fat, clumsy person
    [10]

    From issusooq, 'thick'.

  • Maaliakullak, 'Clumsy-Maalia'
    [10]

    There is no direct translation, but the meaning is negative.

This is the meaning given in Oqaatsit [13] , and the affix is presumably productive in this sense.

  • angutikullak, a rather big man
    [13]

    'Big' is here likely in the sense of 'chubby' rather than e.g. 'tall'.

  • illukullak, a rather large house
    [13]

  • qeqertakullak, a rather big island
    [13]

  • ujarakullak, a rather big rock
    [13]

  • Nuukullak, a rather big (long) promontory

    From nuuk, 'headland/promontory'. This is also the name of an area in Nuuk. In this case, the affix seems to denote 'long', i.e. 'extending rather far out into the sea'.