Details

General

Morphemic form: N{tciaq}N
New orthography: -tsiaq
Old orthography: -tsiaĸ
Sources: [14, 11, 4]
Combinations: Click here
Variants: V{tciaq}V,
See also: N{tcialak}N,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Geminating,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this affix is 'a fair-sized N'. It may also have connotations of 'good', especially in combination with other affixes. There is also a verbal variant, V{tciaq}V, meaning 'Vb fairly much'.


Inflection sandhi:

This affix has a very peculiar feature: It geminates /a/. The origin of this behaviour is unclear. In the old orthography, it may have been up-declined, i.e. -tsiaup, -tsiait, which would explain the lengthened vowel in these cases. However, if viewed as an ordinary, geminating weak-q stem, then we still get a lengthened /a/, because of the gemination, i.e. -tsiaap, -tsiaat, so the up-declension may be spurious. The lengthening of /a/ is recorded at least as far back as in Rasmussen (1888), who has the example arrîtsuatsiâmik, new orthography: arriitsuatsiaamik. The old orthography reveals that the lengthened a-vowel is /aa/, and not /ai/.


Inflection

Declension pattern
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Geminating
Gemination type: a⇒aa

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -tsiaa -tsia
-tsiaq
-tsiaap
-tsiaat
Phonemic orthography tciaa tcia
tciaq
tciaap
tciaat

Notes on declension:

We assume this is gemination of /a/ to /aa/, and we therefore give the ergative and plural endings as /tcaap/, /tcaat/ in the phonemic orthography. If we were to follow the old orthography, the forms would instead be /tcaip/, /tcait/.


Meanings and examples

It may also have connotations of 'good', especially in combination with other affixes.

  • aataatsiaq, a fairly big harp seal [11]

    From aataaq, 'harp seal'.

  • utoqqatsiaq, a fairly old person [11]
  • illutsiaat, fairly big houses [11]

    Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) has igdlutsiait here, suggesting up-declension, but this may be spurious.

  • nukappiatsiaap arpappaa, the teenage-boy ran over to fetch it [11]

    Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) has nukagpiatsiaup here, suggesting up-declension, but this may be spurious.

  • umiatsiaami, on the boat

    Here we see gemination of /a/ to /aa/ before a consonant-initial ending.