Details

General

Morphemic form: V{-liq}V
New orthography: -lerpoq
Old orthography: -lerpoĸ
Sources: [9, 11, 14, 8]
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Truncative,
Right sandhi:
Assibilation (t⇒s),
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: q-stem
Diathesis: None
Valency:
Preserving,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The affix indicates the onset of an action, or the transition from one state of being to another. Often, this can simply be translated as present tense, possibly with a 'now'. However, the affix is often required in Kalaallisut, because many verb stems have an inherent past-tense meaning. In such cases, the effect of adding this affix is to locate the action right before the present moment.

If the stem describes a (past) state of being, or an on-going process (atelic verbs, according to Nielsen [8]), adding the present affix denotes that the state/process has recently begun. In these cases, the affix can perhaps better be translated as 'Subject has just begun to Vb'. See e.g. the combination N{-qaliq}V.

In relation to this, Nielsen [8] also mentions two important details, when this affix is combined with V{sima}V. Here, the ordering of the two affixes have different meanings:


Right sandhi:

Note also that the true /i/ can cause assibilation of a following /t/ to /s/. It may not always happen in modern language use, though, since the t-to-s rule is used inconsistently.


Meanings and examples

This is often too literal a translation. With verbs describing a state of being (or on-going process), it can also be translated as 'has just begun to Vb'.

  • angerlalerpoq, he is going home (now) [9]

    From angerlarpoq, 'he goes home'. The affix indicates that this is the exact moment when the person begins to perform the action, e.g. just when he goes out of the door.

  • Ilulissat kisiisa takunngilerpakka, Ilulissat is now the only town I haven't seen [11]

    From takuaa, 'he sees it' and with the negation affix V{ŋŋit}V, so literally: 'I begin to not-see Ilulissat alone'. Note that Ilulissat is inherently plural; hence both {kəsi}N and the ending are plural.

  • iluliarsuit aseroraangata assut mallilersarpoq, whenever the huge icebergs break it (habitually) begins to create a lot of waves. [2]

    The key point to notice here is the word mallilersarpoq. The combination is V{-liq}V{ðaq}V which yield -lersar-, because the true /i/ causes assibilation of /t/ to /s/.

  • sulerpit?, what are you going to do? [8]

    From the dummy question root {su}V, so literally 'you are beginning to do what?'.

  • toqusimalerpoq, he has just died [8]

    From toquvoq, 'he dies', and from this toqusimavoq, 'he is dead'. Here, the combination is V{sima}V + V{-liq}V, denoting that the state (his being dead) has been entered recently.

  • sinilersimapput, they had fallen asleep [8]

    From sinippoq, 'he sleeps', and from this sinilerpoq, 'he falls asleep'. Here, the combination is V{-liq}V + V{sima}V emphasising that the state (their being asleep) indeed has been entered.

  • siallilerpoq, it has begun to rain [8]

    From siallerpoq, 'it rains'.

  • atualerpoq, he has just started in school [8]

    From atuarpoq, 'he is in school/he goes to school', i.e. not necessarily in this moment, but he is a school-age child. Thus, atuarpoq can also be translated as 'he is a pupil/school-child'.


Tags