Details

General

Morphemic form: V{gi}V
New orthography: +gujoq, +gipput, +gujaa, +gina
Old orthography: -ivoĸ, '-nivoĸ, -ioĸ, -ujoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Left sandhi:
Default,
Irregular,
Right sandhi:
Assibilation (t⇒s),
Inflection sandhi:
Irregular,
Metathesis,
Stem type: Vowel stem
Diathesis: None
Valency change: Preserving
Valency:
None,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

It is difficult to pin down the meaning of this affix exactly: It is variously described as meaning 'and so (at length)', 'moreover', 'too/also' and similar. According to Kleinschmidt (1871), the meaning is like an almost superfluous 'also/too' when making statements such as 'that is also bad' or 'I believe so too', e.g. agreeing with something someone else has said. In this sense, it is often used in pleonastic combination with the enclitic *{(p)tauq} with more or less the same meaning,

It also has an entirely different, special meaning when used with endings in the imperative and optative moods. Here, it instead denotes that the command/wish is pushed slightly into the future, which (especially in the case of imperative endings) softens the command by making it less immediate. This may also soften the command. Furthermore, this affix is mandatory after the negation affix V{ŋŋit}V in the optative mood.


Left sandhi:

The affix is generally just additive. However, Kleinschmidt (1871) and Schultz-Lorentzen (1958) mention that it may optionally appear as {ni} instead of {gi}, when following the negation affix V{ŋŋit}V, and possibly also following other t-stems. This behaviour is reminiscent of the special causative mood marker {na}, which is still used today instead of the ordinary {ga} when following V{ŋŋit}V, so this behaviour may be remnants of an old, and no longer active, sound rule. This behaviour is almost certainly not used productively today with this affix, but it may be seen in older texts.


Inflection sandhi:

This affix has a number of highly unusual, idiosyncratic inflection-sandhi rules:

The forms -gujoq, -gujaa etc. are the most common today, but the non-metathesised forms -gioq, -giaa, etc. may be seen in older texts. In the imperative mood, where it expresses a less-immediate future which is used to soften the command, it also causes a few changes:

It also causes two other changes in the transitive imperative paradigm, which however are regular by the other sound and sandhi rules:

With all other endings, this affix is regular.


Meanings and examples

Or 'moreover' or 'and so (at length)'.

  • nalliukkujoq, (and) it is also his birthday
    [4]

    From nalliuppoq, 'he has/celebrates birthday' (i.e., 'it is his birthday'). The Subject is the person whose birthday it is. Here we see the affix cause a change to the intransitive indicative 3sg ending V{vuq}, but compare e.g. nalliukkillunga, 'it is also my birthday', with a contemporative ending where the affix does not cause any changes.

  • takunnginniakkattaaq, (and) I have also not seen them
    [4]

    From {taku}V, 'Agent sees Patient' followed by V{ŋŋit}V, 'not'. The affix here appears as {ni} following V{ŋŋit}V. The ending is transitive indicative 1sg/3pl V{vakka} with loss of the /v/, but in this example without metathesis/change of /iv/ ⇒ /uj/. Finally, the enclitic *{(p)tauq}, 'also' has been added. The presence of the affix V{gi}V thus seems almost unnecessary, or at most as an emphasis of the meaning 'also'.

  • taannattaaq oqarfigigujaa, (and) to him also/too he said (something)
    [4]

    Here too we see this affix used together with the enclitic *{(p)tauq}, both of which seem to express more or less the same meaning. The ending is transitive indicative 3sg/3sg V{vaa}, with metathesis/change of /iv/ ⇒ /uj/. This is the most common form, but oqarfigigiaa with just deletion of /v/ is also possible.

  • allaffigigujara, I wrote it to him also/too
    [4]

    Here with transitive indicative 1sg/3sg V{vara} and metathesis/change of /iv/ ⇒ /uj/.

  • tikikkujaallu qablunaat eqqullugu inuusertik, and then (at length) came the qablunaat, imposing their way of life

    From {təkit}V, 'Agent arrives at Patient' and with transitive indicative 3pl/3sg V{vaat}. This is a line from the song Inuit Nunaat by SUME.

When used with endings in the imperative or optative mood, this affix denotes that the command/wish is pushed slightly into the future, which softens the command. The affix is mandatory before V{ŋŋit}V in the optative mood.

  • pineqarili, let/may it happen (in the future)!
    [4]

    With intransitive optative 3sg V{li}, 'let him Vb'. The effect of the affix is here to push the wish a little into the future.

  • ajunngikkili, let him be well!

    From ajunngit-, 'is good/well' and with intransitive optative 3sg V{li}, 'let him Vb!'. The affix is mandatory here following V{ŋŋit}V in the optative mood.

  • nerilluarina, bon appetit (when thou are going to eat)

    Literally 'eat thou well', with the special intransitive imperative 2sg ending V{gina}.

  • sinilluarina, sleep well (when thou go to bed)

    The effect of adding this affix is to push the command slightly into the future. Hence, sinilluarina could e.g. be used, when you say goodbye to someone, who is about to go home and sleep, whereas the ordinary imperative form sinilluarit without V{gi}V would be used when you say goodnight to someone who is already in bed.

  • inuulluaqqutikkiuk!, wish him well (when thou see him)
    [10]

    With transitive imperative 2sg/3sg V{-guk}. The point of the affix is to push the command into the future, so the implied meaning here is that the speaker bids the Subject (thou) to pass on his well-wishes to the Object (he), when the Subject sees/meets the Object.


References