Details

General

Description and behaviour

This affix is a combination of V{suuq}N and N{-u}V. It is only used with adjectival bases, that take V{suuq}N as their intransitive participle, and it replaces the use of V{ðuu}V in these cases. Hence, the affix is non-productive, since it is only used in these specific cases, which are all lexicalised.

The meaning of the affix is 'Subject is characteristically Vb'ing'. In contrast to the the unmodified adjectival base, which indicates a more local, or temporary quality, the stem including this affix indicates a more permanent quality, similar to V{ðuu}V. Compare the following:

• angivoq, 'he is big' (in the current context, e.g. relative to his surroundings).
• angisooq, '(someone who is) big'.
• angisuuvoq, 'he is (characteristically) big'.

Finally, note that in the new orthography, there is no visible difference between using V{ðuu}V and the present affix, since all stems using the present affix are vowel stems, so either combination would yield "-suu-". The difference is only visible in the old orthography, where we have e.g. angisôĸ, angisûvoĸ, rather than angissôĸ, angissûvoĸ etc. Furthermore, many speakers no longer observe the difference between 's' and 'ss' in the old orthography, i.e. [s] and [c] in our notation, so there may not be an audible difference either. Thus, the present affix is recorded here only for historical compatibility.

Meanings and examples