Details

General

Morphemic form: V{vvaarik}N
New orthography: -ffaarik
Old orthography: -vfârik
Combinations: Click here
Constituents: V{-vaaq}V, V{'-rik}V,
Variants: V{vvaarik}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Regular k-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is simply the affix V{vvaarik}V used without a verbal ending, in a more or less exclamatory form; cf. e.g. N{-gik}V, which also can be used in this way, and to which the second component, V{'-rik}V, is related. The meaning is seemingly equivalent to the combination V{vvaarik}V{ðuq}N, i.e. 'one who Vb extraordinarily'.

The affix is listed in Oqaatsit (1997), but I do not think it is used much productively. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) even give a few examples, where it is added directly to a noun stem, in the sense 'a particularly good N':

However, this usage is not listed in any of the other dictionaries, and I therefore do not record a separate form that attaches to noun stems.


Inflection

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

Notes on declension:

The affix is listed in Oqaatsit (1997), but I suspect it is not used much outside the absolutive singular, or followed by other affixes. Thus, I record it as a regular k-stem, since this is the most common, but in the absence of further examples, I do not record a full declension pattern.


Meanings and examples

  • atuaffaarik, one who reads really well
    [4]

    From {atuvaq}V, 'read'. Note, Schultz-Lorentzen spells this atuvfârik, i.e. atuffaarik rather than the expected atuaffaarik. However, I suspect that this is either a spelling error, or due to confusion with the affix V{'-rik}V, which would yield atuvfarigpoq, i.e. atuffarippoq, with a short [a]. None of the other examples indicate that this affix should cause a final /aq/ to drop from the stem. Thus, I have decided to regularise the spelling of this example.

  • pinniffaarik, one who is extraordinarily beautiful
    [13]

    From pinnerpoq, 'she is beautiful'.

  • timmiannguaq nipikiffaarik, a little bird with an extraordinarily fine (small) voice
    [13]

    From nipi, 'voice' and N{-kit}V, 'has small/few N'.

  • sanaarpassuit tamarmik iluaffaariit, a great number of perfectly well-made products
    [13]

    From iluarpoq, 'it is good/correct'. Note that in this example, the affix is actually used in plural.


References