Details
General
| Morphemic form: | V{-guknaiq}V |
| New orthography: | -gunnaarpoq |
| Old orthography: | -gungnaerpoĸ |
| Combinations: | Click here |
| Constituents: | ?, V{-iq}V, |
| Variants: | V{yuknaiq}V, |
| Left sandhi: | Truncative,
|
| Right sandhi: | Assibilation (t⇒s),
|
| Inflection sandhi: | Default/none,
|
| Stem type: | q-stem |
| Diathesis: | None |
| Valency change: | Preserving |
| Valency: | None,
|
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
This affix is a variant of V{yuknaiq}V, with the same meaning. Indeed, in Oqaatsit [8] and Ordbogêraĸ [6], it is even listed as just one of the possible forms of V{yuknaiq}V, rather than as a separate affix.
However, V{yuknaiq}V is regularly additive on consonant stems, with /Cy/ ⇒ /Cg/ as usual, whereas the present affix appears to be truncative on all consonant stems. If this were the same morpheme, we would then have the peculiar situation that e.g. 'he no longer sleeps' could be expressed in either of the two following ways, using {sinək}V:
- sinikkunnaarpoq, formed regularly with V{yuknaiq}V, where /ky/ ⇒ /kg/ ⇒ [gg] ⇒ [kk],
- sinigunnaarpoq, using the form represented by the present affix.
If in fact it were the case that both of the forms -kunnaar- and -gunnaar- could result from the same morpheme, as the dictionaries suggest, it would be unclear when either of the two forms should be used. Thus, we shall here instead record it as a separate morpheme.
A possible source of this confusion may be entanglement with the affix V{gunaq}V, which does have an initial /g/ nowadays, even though this historically was /y/, according to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [1]. In any case, it appears that the present affix can be used interchangeably with V{yuknaiq}V, but maybe in particular on consonant stems (/k/ and /t/), whereas V{yuknaiq}V may be preferred on vowel stems.
Left sandhi:
Unlike most truncative, g-initial affixes, this affix appears to be truly truncative on all stem types, rather than only on k-stems and t-stems (whilst fusing with /q/ on q-stems).
Meanings and examples
I.e., Subject was Vb'ing at a previous point in time, but has now ceased to Vb.
- ersigunnaarpoq, it is unclear weather; there is bad visibility (due to heavy snow-fall)
[8]
Seemingly, given the meaning, from erserpoq, 'the weather clears up'. If so, this illustrates that this affix is truncative on all stems, even q-stems. Alternatively, it could be from ersippoq, 'it is visible/audible', but this does not seem to fit with the meaning.
- qitigunnaarpoq, he has stopped dancing
[8]
From qitippoq, 'he dances'.
- sinigunnaarpoq, he is no longer sleeping; he has woken up
[8]
From sinippoq, 'he sleeps'.
References
- [6] Jonathan Petersen (1967): Ordbogêraĸ.
- [8] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.