Details

General

Morphemic form: V{'-q}V
New orthography: -rpoq
Old orthography: -rpoĸ
Combinations: Click here
See also: N{ŋŋuq}V,
Left sandhi:
Geminating,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: q-stem
Diathesis: None
Valency change: Preserving
Valency:
None,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This is a so-called inchoative morpheme, denoting 'becoming' or the beginning of a process. It is a non-productive morpheme found in several lexicalisations, and it may have caused gemination in the stem, if the preceding consonant is single. For example:

Thus, whereas qaamavoq denotes a state of being, qaammarpoq denotes the onset/beginning of this state.


Left sandhi:

This affix causes gemination in the preceding stem, if possible. For example:


Meanings and examples

On stems describing a state of being, it denotes the onset of that state.

  • aallarpoq, he departs/travels
    [1]

    From aalavoq, 'he is moving about'. Note the gemination of /l/ to /ll/.

  • qaammarpoq, it becomes light
    [1]

    From qaamavoq, 'it is light'. Note the gemination of /m/ to /mm/.

  • ammarpoq, it opens/becomes open
    [4]

    From ammavoq, 'it is open'. Note that in this case, the stem consonant /mm/ is already long, so the affix V{'-q}V cannot cause gemination in this case. Interestingly, from this stem, we also have ammarpaa, 'he opens it', but there does not seem to be a corresponding divalent usage of amma-. Instead, the intransitive form ammarpoq seems alternatively to be interpreted reflexively, as 'it opens itself', and the transitive usage ammarpaa may then have been derived from this.

  • napparpoq, It is erected/placed upright
    [4]

    From napavoq, 'stands upright/erect/is vertical'. Note the gemination of /p/ to /pp/. Note also that napparpoq is homonymous with another word meaning 'he is ill'. However, these two words are unrelated: the 'erect' meaning is from {napa}V, whereas the 'ill' meaning is from {napə}V, with gemination apparently having triggered /ə/ ⇒ [a].


References