Details

General

Morphemic form: V{kcau}V
New orthography: -ssaavoq
Old orthography: -gssauvoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Constituents: N{kcaq}N, N{-u}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Vowel stem
Diathesis: Subjective
Valency change: Decreasing
Valency:
Monovalent,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary, this affix is apparently formed from {kðaʀ}, i.e. the nominal future affix N{kcaq}N, which is attached directly to verbal bases, and then followed by N{-u}V, 'to be'. N{kcaq}N normally only attaches to nominal bases, but they suggest a conflation with a past participle {kŝaq}, from {kə}, which does not exist in Greenlandic.

The meaning is 'Actor is Vb'able', and it appears almost always to be used with divalent stems, where Actor is equated with the Patient of the stem. Hence, it is a valency-decreasing affix. The transformation resulting from adding the affix can be described thus:

This is somewhat similar to the combination V{-ðaq}N{-u}V, i.e. the stative passive V{-ðau}V.


Left sandhi:

Left sandhi is inherited from the left-most component, N{kcaq}N. See this for details.


Right sandhi:

Right sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, N{-u}V. See this for details.


Inflection sandhi:

Inflection sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, N{-u}V. See this for details.


Meanings and examples

In case the stem is divalent, the Actor is equated with the Patient of the stem.

  • angusaavoq, he is catchable
    [8]

    Or, 'it is possible to catch up with him'. From anguaa, 'he catches up with him'.

  • atussaavoq, it is usable

    From atorpaa, 'he uses it'.

  • killisissaavoq, it is comprehensible

    Or 'delimit-able'. The base is killisivaa, which has two different meanings. Originally 'he finds the limit of it', but nowadays 'he understands it in-depth'. From this is then derived killisissaanngitsoq, 'it is inscrutable' etc.

  • kisissaanngillat, they are uncountable
    [4]

    Old orthography: kisigssáungitdlat, from kisippai, 'he counts them'.

  • nikassaavoq, he does not have much faith in (someone)

    Given the meaning, this seems to be from nikagaa, 'he does not think much of him' or 'he despises him', but apparently with deletion of the whole final /gə/ from the stem. If it were to be regular formed, it should be from nikavoq instead, but this stem means 'he is sad' nowadays. However, Kleinschmidt (1871) says that the meaning of nikavok originally is 'he does not care much for (something) any more, (although he previously did)'. Thus, if the formation of nikassaavoq is old, then it could be from nika- in this older sense.

  • paasissaavoq, it is intelligible

    Or 'understandable'. From paasivaa, 'he understands it'.

  • qaqissaavoq, it is climbable
    [8]

    Or 'it is possible to climb'. From qaqivaa, 'he reaches the top of it', i.e. a mountain.

  • takussaavoq, it is visible

    From takuaa, 'he sees it'.

  • tigussaavoq, it is take-able

    I.e., 'it is possible to get hold of'. From tiguaa, 'he takes it'.

  • tikissaavoq, it is reachable
    [8]

    In the sense of 'it is possible to get all the way to it', from tikippaa, 'he arrives at it'.

  • tusassaavoq, it is audible

    From tusarpaa, 'he hears it'.


References