Details

General

Morphemic form: V{galuaq}N
New orthography: -gigalui, -ugaluaq
Old orthography:
Combinations: Click here
Variants: V{galuaq}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
/aq/ drop,
Inflection sandhi:
Irregular,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The root of this affix is presumably the same as V{galuaq}V, but with a rather different meaning: 'formerly N'. As a nominalising stem, it is only used after the two 'copula' affixes N{-u}V 'to be' and N{-gə}V 'have as'.


Inflection sandhi:

The stem declines regularly as a weak q-stem with consonant-initial endings, but with drop of /aq/ before vowel-initial endings. Furthermore, this stem is up-declined, which thus also causes /aq/ to drop. In other words, with consonant-initial endings, it behaves like a weak q-stem, but with vowel-initial endings it behaves like a regular k-stem {galuk}. Very few other stems decline in this peculiar way: most notably N{(q)cuaq}N and N{ŋŋuaq}N.


Inflection

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

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography +galua +galu
+galuaq
+galuup
+galuit
Phonemic orthography galua galu
galuaq
galuup
galuit

Notes on declension:

Note that this stem is both weak and up-declined, and the vowel-initial endings N{-up} and N{-it} cause /aq/ to drop. Of course, this also happens with vowel-initial possessive endings, thus yielding forms such as +galua, +galui.


Meanings and examples

where N here refers to the noun stem incorporated by either N{-u}V or N{-gə}V.

  • illoqarfiugaluaq, a former town

    From illoqarfik, 'town', i.e. a town that is now deserted, no longer inhabited etc.

  • niuertoqarfiup illuutigigalui, houses formerly owned by the settlement
    [10]

    From {əŋlu}N{-utə}N, 'owned house', with N{-gə}V and possessive ending ABS.3sg/pl N{-i}. Here we see the /aq/ drop before the vowel-initial ending N{-i}.


References