Details

General

Morphemic form: V{-ataaq}V
New orthography: -ataarpoq
Old orthography: -atârpoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Truncative,
Irregular,
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 affix means something like 'Subject Vb strongly' or 'powerfully' or 'hard' or similar. It is commonly used in the participial mood, as a kind of exclamation. It will likely often not make sense to translate directly, but must be translated of some kind of exclamation. The point seems to be to draw attention to something and express that the Subject is Vb'ing strongly/powerfully/hard, although the result may be negligible.


Left sandhi:

The affix is normally truncative. However, there are examples, e.g. in Schultz-Lorentzen (1958), where it seems to behave as V{gataaq}V on q-stems; i.e. /qg/ merge to /r/. For example ajorataarpoq from {ajuq}V.

However, this does not seem to always happen. As a counter-example, there is also tissiataarpoq from tisserpoq, where the final /q/ has been deleted. Thus, it is not clear whether this behaviour is regular or optional.


Meanings and examples

Or 'powerfully' or similar. Often as an exclamation in the participial mood, which must be translated as something like 'Wow, look how Subject is Vb'ing!'.

  • nivaartaartoq, Wow, look how he is shovelling!
    [4]

    From nivappoq, 'he shovels snow'. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) also gives the form nivaiatârtoĸ, new orthography nivaajataartoq, but it is not clear why this /i/ is inserted.

  • ajorataartoq, Wow, it is really bad!
    [4]

    From ajorpoq, 'it is bad'. It is implied that it was expected that 'it should have been good'. Here, the affix has attached to /q/, rather than removing the final consonant.

  • tissiataarpoq, he is sailing hard
    [4]

    From tisserpoq, 'he sails'. This word is lexicalised.


References