Details

General

Morphemic form: V{ŋŋitcuugakcau}V
New orthography: -nngitsuugassaanngilaq
Old orthography: '-ngitsuugagssáungilaĸ'
Sources: [13, 8]
Combinations: Click here
Constituents: V{ŋŋitcuuq}V, V{-ðaq}N, N{kcaq}N, N{-u}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Vowel stem
Diathesis: Subjective
Valency:
Subject decreasing,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This combination is mentioned in Fortescue [13] and Nielsen [8], but not elsewhere. According to Nielsen, it is only used in negated form, so either followed by V{ŋŋit}V or the negative contemporative mood.

It contains the passive participle V{-ðaq}N, so it can only be used on divalent stems, where it will remove the Agent role and promote the Patient role to Actor, so the meaning becomes passive. The meaning is then: 'Actor=Patient cannot anything but be Vb'ed'.


Meanings and examples

Only with divalent stems, and followed by a negation.

  • nuannarinngitsuugassaanngilaq, one cannot do anything but enjoy it; it cannot anything but be enjoyed [8]

    From nuannaraa, 'he enjoys it'.

  • atuanngitsuugassaanngilaq, one must not avoid reading it; it must not be avoided to be read [8]

    From atuarpaa, 'he reads it'.

  • naalanngitsuugassaanngilaq, one cannot do anything but obey him; he must be obeyed [8]

    From naalappaa, 'he obeys him'.


Tags