Details

General

Morphemic form: V{ðə}N
New orthography: +ti, +si, -rti, -tsi
Old orthography: -te, -teĸ, -se, -seĸ
Sources: [9, 11, 14]
Combinations: Click here
See also: V{nəq}N, V{-ðaq}N, V{ðuq}N,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: ə-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is used to create nouns from divalent stems that represent the Agent role of the verbal action. It can perhaps be compared to English -er, -or (compare 'teacher', 'helper', 'counsellor'), i.e. a 'Vb'er (of/for the Patient)'. The Patient need not be specified, but can be indicated with a possessive ending.

It is not commonly used in active production today, but it can be found it in a number of lexicalised words. It seems instead to be more common to use the intransitive participle V{ðuq}N, in combination with a HTR-morpheme to reduce the valency (e.g. ilinniartitsisoq, 'teacher', from ilinniartippaa, 'he teaches him').

Note that /ə/ always must take a sound, since if /ð/ becomes /c/ (on vowel stems), then /ə/ must take a sound because no Greenlandic word can end on the sound [c]. Likewise, if /ð/ becomes /t/ (on consonant stems), then /ə/ must again take a sound, because no Greenlandic word can end on a double consonant sound.

As indicated by Schultz-Lorentzen [11], the affix may optionally appear as -teq, -seq instead of -ti, -si. This /q/ is a later addition, not part of the historical form of this morpheme, but seems to be from a tendency by some speakers to add a consonant to vowel-stems in absolutive singular. Thus, it is not part of the stem, and we shall therefore not include it in the morphemic form of this affix.

Kleinschmidt [9] notes that the this affix may also be used on the HTR-form of a stem, and this may in particular be preferred with t-stems (including t(ə)-stems, since the affix is additive), and possibly also ə-stems.


Inflection

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

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography ti ta
+ti
+tip
+tit
Phonemic orthography ðə ðə
ðə
ðəp
ðət


Meanings and examples

Or 'Vb'er', 'Vb'or' (of/for someone) etc. The Patient can be specified with a possessive ending. This morpheme is the counterpart to the passive participle, V{-ðaq}N.

  • annaassisi, (one's) saviour [14]
  • paarsisi, (one's) nanny [14]

    Or 'guardian', 'caretaker' etc.

  • perorsaasi, (one's) pedagogue [14]

    Or 'upbringer', i.e. the person who takes care of one's upbringing.

  • ikiorti, (one's) helper [14]
  • najorti, one who is with (someone) [14]

    From najorpaa, 'he is with him', e.g. someone who accompanies you for emotional support.

  • siunnersorti, counsellor [14]

    Or 'advisor', 'consultant.'

  • malitsi, (one's) follower [14]

    Or 'supporter', from malippaa, 'he follows him'.

  • naalatsi, (one's) subject [14]

    I.e. of a king, from naalappaa, 'he obeys him', so literally 'obeyer'.

  • oqalutsi, interpreter [14]

    From {uqaluk}V, 'speaks', so literally 'one who speaks for somebody'.

  • allatsi, (one's) writer [11]

When the affix is used with possessive endings, the Possessor indicates the Patient role.

  • ajoqersortaa, his teacher [11]

    Or rather, 'his catechist' (who often also acted as teachers in older days in Greenland). This may have connotations of a teacher in bible studies, compare ajoqi, 'catechist'. Formed with Absolutive 3.sg/sg possessive ending N{-a}.

  • ornittai, those who approached him [11]

    From ornippaa, 'he approaches him', and with Absolutive 3sg/pl possessive ending N{-i}, so literally 'his approachers' = 'the ones who approach him'. Note that this is the converse of a similar construction with the passive participle, V{-ðaq}N, i.e. ornigai 'those whom he approached'.

  • toqutsisaa, his killer [11]

    I.e., 'the one who killed him', with Absolutive 3sg/sg possessive ending N{-a}. Note that this is a t-stem, {tuqut}V, so the word is constructed from the HTR-stem, {tuqutci}V.

  • asasiga, the one who loves me [11]

    With Absolutive 1sg/sg possessive ending N{-ga}, literally 'my (be)lover'.

  • asasit, with love [11]

    Or 'sincerely' etc., as a formulaic ending of a letter. With Absolutive 2sg/sg possessive ending N{t}, literally 'thy lover', or 'the one who loves thee'.

  • Guutip ilagiissai, God's flock [11]

    With Absolutive 3sg/pl possessive ending N{-i}.

  • uppertai, his believers [11]

    With Absolutive 3sg/pl possessive ending N{-i}.

  • annaassisaa, the one who saves him; his saviour [11]

    From annaappaa, 'he saves him'. This is a t(ə)-stem, {annaut(ə)}V, and the word is built from the HTR-stem, {annaucci}V.

  • mianerinnittai, those who fear/respect him [11]

    I.e. 'his fearers', from mianeraa, 'he respects him'. This is a ə-stem, and the word is built from the HTR-stem, {mianirənnək}V.