Details

General

Morphemic form: N{kcijaq}N
New orthography: -ssiaq
Old orthography: -gssiaĸ
Combinations: Click here
Constituents: N{kcaq}N, N{-li}V, V{-ðaq}N,
See also: N{-lijaq}N,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
/aq/ drop,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this affix is 'something intended for N' or 'something to be used as N'. It appears to be a combination of the nominal future affix N{kcaq}N and the affix N{-lijaq}N, 'something made', where the latter appears to have fused with the former through removal of the final /VC/ and drop of the initial /l/. The latter affix is again a non-standard combination of N{-li}V and the passive participle V{-ðaq}N, where /ð/ has turned into an unwritten consonant, here rendered as /j/. See the entry for N{-lijaq}N for a further description of this.


Right sandhi:

Right sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, V{-ðaq}N. See this for details.


Inflection sandhi:

According to Schultz-Lorentzen (1958), all words formed with -iaq, -liaq have gemination, and this presumably refers to the affix N{-lijaq}N. However, this does not appear to be the case nowadays, and it is in particular unclear whether the present combination also has gemination. Ordbogeeraq (1951) does not mention gemination for the present affix, so in the absence of further evidence to the contrary, we record this affix here without gemination.


Inflection

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

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -ssia -ssia
-ssiaq
-ssiap
-ssiat
Phonemic orthography kcija kcija
kcijaq
kcijap
kcijat

Notes on declension:

This declension is without gemination.


Meanings and examples

In the sense of 'intended to be made into N' or 'to be used as N'.

  • inissiaq, apartment
    [8]

    From ini, 'room; living place', so literally 'something intended to be lived in'.

  • paatissiaq, something intended to be used for/made into kayak oars
    [8]

    From paatit (plural), 'kayak oars'.

  • qisussiaq, something to be used for firewood
    [8]

    From qisuk, 'wood; firewood'.

  • singissiaq, something to be used for shoe laces
    [8]

    From singeq, 'shoe lace'.


References