Details

General

Morphemic form: N{-qutə}N
New orthography: -qut, -qqut
Old orthography: -ĸut, -rĸut
Combinations: Click here
Variants: N{-utə}N, V{(q)qutə}N,
See also: V{(q)qutə}N,
Left sandhi:
Truncative,
Irregular,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: tə-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary, this affix is a variant of N{-utə}N. Kleinschmidt (1871) explains its meaning thus: 'something which has been placed there (on that part of a whole), and which, to a lesser or greater degree, pertains to the completeness of the whole'. It seems rather vague and cryptic, but based on the examples, I think it may better be defined as something like 'the N (of the group)', where 'the group' is not directly specified, but rather implied by the meaning of N.


Left sandhi:

In some lexicalised words, this affix seems instead to have joined additively onto some consonant stems, although it is not clear whether there are any rules governing when this happened. For example

However, the affix appears to be just regularly truncative in productive use today.


Inflection

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

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -quti -quta
-qut
-qutip
-qutit
Phonemic orthography -qutə -qutə
-qutə
-qutəp
-qutət


Meanings and examples

'The group' is not directly specified, but is implied by the meaning of N, or the context.

  • nooqut, something on the tip of the promontory
    [4]

    From nuuk, 'promontory'. This could e.g. be a house, from a group of houses, but the reference 'group' here is not obvious.

  • saaqqutit, kayak weapons/tools (on the front of the kayak)
    [4]

    From saaq, 'front', so literally 'something on the front'. The word is lexicalised with this meaning, and it is irregularly formed with the affix seemingly having joined additively onto saaq.

  • akullequt, the middle child (of the siblings)
    [8]

    From akulleq, 'the middle-most', i.e. 'the one in the middle'. Thus, the implied group here is likely a group of siblings.

  • atuartoqut, the school-child (of the family)
    [8]

    From atuartoq, 'school pupil'. Thus, the implied group here is likely a family, or group of siblings of different ages or similar.

  • Tuumarsequt, the Thomas (of the family/group)
    [8]

    From Tuumarsi, the Greenlandic version of the name Thomas. Thus, the implied group here could be e.g. a family, or a group of friends, which has one member named Tuumarsi.


References