Details

General

Morphemic form: N{nkuq}N
New orthography: -kkut
Old orthography: '-kut
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is used to indicate a group of people, consisting of N - usually a name or some other noun denoting a person - and his/her companions or family. It can be compared to the English suffix 's as in the Johnson**'s**, the Peterson**'s** etc.

Given the meaning of this affix, it is always used with plural endings: hence, it appears as -kkut, -kkunut etc., when it appears with endings. It is seldom followed by another affix, but N{miuq}N may occasionally follow it, yielding -kkormiut, thus revealing that the affix indeed is a weak q-stem, even though the /q/ is never seen, except in one of these rare combinations with an additive affix. Note that, despite the apparent similarity in the new orthography, this affix is not the same as the vialis unmarked singular case marker N{-kkut}.

This affix is also used in a special construction, when two persons are referred to as a group (e.g. 'mom and dad'). In that case, N{nkuq}N is commonly added to the first person in plural, i.e. as -kkut, and the enclitic *{lu} (and) is added to the second. However, if more than two people are listed, -kkut is not added. Thus:

The second example lists three people, so here only *{lu} is added, but not -kkut.


Inflection

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

Notes on declension:

Given its meaning, this affix is only used with plural endings, so we do not give a full declension pattern. However, it behaves like a regular, weak q-stem, i.e. -kkut, -kkunut etc.


Meanings and examples

Usually with N as a name.

  • Farikkut, Fari and his family/companions
    [8]

  • iffiortukkut, The Baker's
    [8]

    I.e., the baker and his family.

  • Suulukkut, Suulut (Søren) and his friends
    [8]

    Note: this name is a borrowed word, so it is not regarded as a tə-stem; hence the final consonant is actually deleted.

  • Palasikkut, the Priest's
    [4]

  • Palasikkunni, at the Priest's (e.g. house)
    [4]

    With the plural, locative ending N{ni}.

  • ataatakkut tikipput, dad and his companions have arrived
    [4]

When two persons are referred to as a group, N{nkuq}N is added to the first person in plural, and the enclitic *{lu} (and) is added to the second.

  • Jensenikkut Ebbelu aterput, Jensen and Ebbe went down(stairs)
    [10]

    Here we see -kkut on the first name (Jensen, with a Greenlandizing /i/ injected) and -lu on the second name (Ebbe), indicating that they are regarded as a group of two.

  • ataatakkullu anaanakkullu, my dad and mom
    [4]

    With the enclitic *{lu} added on top of a second -kkut. Having -kkut on both names in a pair, and -lu on the second, is apparently North Greenlandic according to Schultz-Lorentzen (1958). However, in standard West-Greenlandic, this construction is not common.


References