Details

General

Morphemic form: V{ccusiq}N
New orthography: -ssuseq, -ssussia!
Old orthography: -ssuseĸ, '-ssuseĸ
Sources: [14, 11]
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Assibilation (t⇒s),
Inflection sandhi:
Geminating,
Irregular,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This morpheme is used to create abstract nouns from verb stems. Hence, it is comparable to the abstract participle V{nəq}N; but rather than denoting 'the act of Vb'ing', V{ccusiq}N instead denotes 'the quality of Vb'ing'. This may be compared to a suffix such as -ness in English; e.g. greatness. The affix is also used in a special construction with the absolutive 3sg/sg possessive ending N{-a}, i.e. -ssussia!, which is used as an exclamation: 'how Vb (it is)!'.

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [16], this morpheme is related to V{-usiq}N, although the source of the /cc/ phonemes is not explained. There might be a relation to the epenthetic (cc) appearing in V{-(cc)utə}N and its variants, but exactly how is unclear.


Left sandhi:

Kleinschmidt [9] mentions that it occasionally may attach to a stem-final /q/, rather than deleting it; i.e. that it would have the form /cusiq/ on q-stems, rather than /ccusiq/, which is phonotactically truncative. However, he marks this behaviour as 'old', even in 1871, and it does not appear at all nowadays. Hence, we do not register a special rule for this.


Inflection sandhi:

The affix is often declined irregularly, with /i/ becoming /a/ before vowel-initial endings as if it were a /ə/. However, this is not officially recognised as correct.


Inflection

Declension pattern
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Geminating
Gemination type: s⇒tc

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -ssutsi -ssusi
-ssuseq
-ssutsip
-ssutsit
Phonemic orthography ccutci ccusi
ccusiq
ccutcip
ccutcit

Notes on declension:

This is the standard (officially correct) declension.


Declension pattern
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Irregular

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -ssutsi -ssusa
-ssuseq
-ssutsip
-ssutsit
Phonemic orthography ccutci ccusa
ccusiq
ccutcip
ccutcit

Notes on declension:

This is the irregular declension with both gemination and change of /i/ to /a/ before vowel-initial endings.


Meanings and examples

Corresponding to some suffixes in English such as -ness, -ance etc.

  • nalussuseq, ignorance [14]

    From {nalu}V, 'Agent knows not Patient'. Note that this stem is agentive (non-patient preserving), so when used intransitively, it means 'Actor does not know' or Actor is ignorant'.

  • ilisimassuseq, knowledge [14]
  • asannissuseq, love

    From the HTR-stem of {asa}V, 'Agent' loves Patient`'.

  • kinaassuseq, identity

    Literally: 'way/manner of being who'

In an exclamatory sense, with the absolutive 3sg/sg possessive ending N{-a}, i.e. -ssusia!

  • angissusia!, oh, how big it is! [14]

    From angivoq, 'it is big'.

  • mamassusia!, umm, how delicious (it tastes)! [14]

    From mamarpoq, 'it tastes delicious'.

  • ajussusia!, oh how bad! [14]

    From ajorpoq, 'it is bad'.

  • qujanassusia!, thank goodness! [14]

    From qujanarpoq, i.e. qujanaq, 'thanks'.