Details
General
| Morphemic form: | N{-lisaq}N |
| New orthography: | -lisaq |
| Old orthography: | -lisaĸ |
| Combinations: | Click here |
| Constituents: | ?, N{taq}N, |
| Variants: | N{(q)nisaq}N, |
| Left sandhi: | Truncative,
|
| Right sandhi: | Default/none,
|
| Inflection sandhi: | Geminating,
|
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
This affix probably has limited combination potential. Its meaning is 'something from last N', where N is a noun indicating some time period (e.g. summer, yesterday, last year). Note also the variant form N{(q)nisaq}N with seemingly the same meaning.
The affix is mentioned in the CED under {nitaq}. They propose that this affix is derived from an irregular combination of the prepositional morpheme {nit} 'from', seen in the ablative case, and N{taq}N, 'something pertaining to N', with /i/ causing assibilation of /t/ to /s/. However, this hypothesis has three problems:
- Firstly, the ablative prepositional marker is {nət}, with /ə/ according to the same source (The Comparative Eskimo Dictionary), and /ə/ does not normally cause assibilation.
- Secondly, N{taq}N, is not normally truncative, so this does not explain why the final /t/ of {nit} (or {nət}) is deleted.
- Thirdly, it is not clear why the initial /n/ appears as /l/ in this affix. They also suggest a relation to N{-li}V, 'make N', but this then does not explain how N{taq}N has come to be attached to a verbal stem.
Thus, I record the first segment of this morpheme as unknown, but I assume that the vowel is a true /i/, and the second segment is N{taq}N, where the /i/ has caused assibilation. However, this should only be viewed as a hypothesis.
Inflection sandhi:
The related affix N{(q)nisaq}N has geminatio of /s/ to /tt/ or /tc/. For example, Oqaatsit (1997) has:
- itsarnisaq in singular,
- itsarnitsat in plural.
Thus, since the segment /isaq/ seems to be common to both, the present variant presumably has gemination too, although this should be viewed as an hypothesis. Given the meaning, words derived with this affix seldom seem to be used in plural, and even less commonly in other cases than the absolutive, and the dictionaries do not give any examples of plural usages of this affix.
Inflection
Declension pattern
| Declension type: | p-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Geminating |
| Gemination type: | s⇒tc |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | -litsa | -lisa |
-lisaq
-litsap
-litsat
|
| Phonemic orthography | -litca | -lisa |
-lisaq
-litcap
-litcat
|
Meanings and examples
Where N indicates a time period.
- aasalisaq, something from last summer
[8]
From aasaq, 'summer'.
- siorn(g)alisaq, something from last year
[8]
From siorn(g)a, 'last year'. Note that this noun is actually declined (absolutive 3sg/sg possessive of siuneq). This is either an irregular formation, because the word siorna is lexicalised in this sense and therefore treated as a noun stem, or it is because the initial /li/ actually derives from a case ending.
References
- [6] Jonathan Petersen (1967): Ordbogêraĸ.
- [8] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.