Details

General

Morphemic form: N{tciaqcuaq}N
New orthography: -tsiarsuaq
Old orthography: -tsiarssuaĸ
Sources: [19]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: N{tciaq}N + N{(q)cuaq}N
Variants: N{tciaŋŋuaq}N
Left sandhi: Default
Right sandhi: /aq/ drop
Inflection sandhi: Default/none
Stem type(s): Regular q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this affix is 'a good N'. It is a combination of N{tciaq}N, 'fair-sized', and N{(q)cuaq}N, 'big'; the latter presumably in a sense of emphasis here. There is also a variant with a similar meaning built from N{ŋŋuaq}N, see N{tciaŋŋuaq}N.


Right sandhi:

Right sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, N{(q)cuaq}N. See this for details.


Inflection sandhi:

Inflection sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, N{(q)cuaq}N. See this for details.


Meanings and examples

The Comparative Eskimo Dictionary notes: 'of something desired, but not got', but it is not clear whether this holds for all examples below.

  • angutitsiarsuaq, a handsome man [19]
  • neqitsiarsuaq, the good meat [19]
  • qisutsiarsuaq, a good piece of wood [19]
  • tuttutsiarsuaq, a nice reindeer [19]

    Presumably 'nice' in the sense of 'delicious'.