Details

General

Morphemic form: V{nəkuu}V
New orthography: +nikuuvoq
Old orthography: -nikûvoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Constituents: V{nəq}N, N{-kuq}N, N{-u}V,
See also: V{sima}V, V{-riiq}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
ə-eliding,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Vowel stem
Diathesis: None
Valency change: Preserving
Valency:
None,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is a combination of abstract participle V{nəq}N, N{-kuq}N, 'former N', and N{-u}V. It is used to describe a perfective state/perfect tense, similar to one of the meanings of V{sima}V, but without the evidential aspect sense. It is less ambiguous than V{sima}V, and may hence be preferred to denote past/perfect tense, especially by younger speakers and in newer texts, whereas older speakers may tend to prefer V{sima}V: Some claim to dislike -nikuu-, because it contains N{-kuq}N, which has connotations of something old/broken/discarded. It is seemingly also a fairly new construction: it does not appear to be mentioned in dictionaries before 1997, but Fortescue (1984) also describes it.


Left sandhi:

Left sandhi is inherited from the left-most component, V{nəq}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

I.e., past/perfect tense (relative to the time-frame of the topic being discussed).

  • Nuummiinnikuuvunga, I have been in Nuuk
    [3]

    I.e., I have once been to Nuuk

  • Nuummiittarnikuuvunga, I have been in Nuuk (several times)
    [3]

    With V{ðaq}V indicating repeated occurrence.

  • alinnikuuvoq, it is/has been torn
    [8]

    From alippaa, 'he tears it up'.

  • nakorsaanikuuvoq, he has been a doctor
    [8]

    Or 'he was once/previously a doctor'.

  • palasiunikuuvoq, he has been a priest
    [8]

    Or 'he was once/previously a priest'.

When used in combination with the negation affix V{ŋŋit}V.

  • Qaqortumiinnikuunngilanga, I have never been in Qaqortoq

References