Details

General

Description and behaviour

Meanings

The meaning of this affix is 'Actor becomes N'. Thus, the affix is normally monovalent, but it seems there are examples where it is used in a divalent sense ('Agent makes Patient be N'), although this does not seem regular. To regularly obtain this meaning, the combination N{ŋŋuqtət}V would be used instead, with the causative meaning of V{tət}V.

The affix also appears in several lexicalised expressions, especially with numerals, where it is used to tell time. For example:

• arfineq, 'six' (the numeral),
• arfininngorpoq, 'it is six o'clock' (literally: it becomes/became six).

The names of the days of the week are also derived from the numerals with this affix, and using either V{nəq}N or the causative or conditional mood. For example:

• arfininngorpoq, 'it is Saturday' (the sixth day of the week, counting from Monday as the first),
• arfininngorneq, 'Saturday' (the name of the day itself),
• arfininngormat, 'on (last) Saturday' (with causative 3.sg, denoting past; literally: 'when it became the sixth (day)'),
• arfininngorpat, 'on (next) Saturday' (with conditional 3.sg, denoting future; literally: 'when it becomes the sixth (day)'),

Note that arfininngorpoq thus can mean both 'it is six o'clock' and 'it is Saturday', and the same ambiguity exists for the numerals 1-5 as well (but not for 7, since Sunday, the seventh day, is named sapaat).

Syntax

This affix is related to the affix N{-u}V, 'to be', and as is the case for N{-u}V, the incorporated noun is a subject predicate of the sentence, rather than an object (as is the case for most other noun-incorporating affixes). Stranded modifiers of the incorporated noun will therefore appear in the absolutive case, and usually in the position after the verb. Here is an example:

• sanasoq pikkorissoq, 'a skilled carpenter',
• sanasunngorpoq pikkorissoq, 'he became a skilled carpenter'.

Historical notes

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary, N{ŋŋuq}V is historically formed through combination of {ŋu} (root of the affix N{-u}V, 'to be') and a morpheme {ʀ-} (root of the affix V{'-q}V), indicating the onset of a change of state ('becomes Vb'ing'). The latter morpheme caused gemination in the preceding stem, thus leading to the form {ŋ(ŋ)uʀ-}, i.e. N{ŋŋuq}V with gemination of /ŋ/ to /ŋŋ/. Note that this is an historical combination: {ŋu} has long ago lost its initial /ŋ/, thus giving the modern-day form N{-u}V, so we only see a reflex of this /ŋ/ in the present affix N{ŋŋuq}V, where gemination apparently has prevented it from dropping.

Meanings and examples

References

• [4] C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958): Den Grønlandske Ordbog.
• [8] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.
• [14] Samuel Kleinschmidt (1895): Tastamantitoĸaĸ.