Details

General

Morphemic form: {ila}N
New orthography: ila, ilaat
Old orthography: ila, ilât
Combinations: Click here
See also: {aqlaq}N, N{taq}N,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Vowel stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this stem is 'part' or 'member' (of some larger whole). This is a partitive stem, used in partitive constructions; i.e. to express 'part of'. Such constructs are made with possessive endings, or with the verbal possessive affix N{-gə}V, and most commonly with possessor, resp. subject, in plural. Consider the examples:

In the first example, angutit, 'the men' is ergative plural and the explicit possessor of ilaat, 'one of them'. The latter is built from {ila}N + absolutive possessive 3pl/sg N{-at}, 'their N'. Hence, the phrase can be translated literally as 'the men's their single part/member', which corresponds to English 'one of the men'. The phrase as a whole could then be used as e.g. the subject of a verb, for example

The second example looks quite similar, but in this case we have a whole sentence/clause. Here, angutit is the subject of the verb ilagaat, which is built from {ila}N + N{-gə}V + transitive indicative 3pl/3sg V{vaat}. Hence, the sentence can be translated literally as 'the men have him as their single part/member', which corresponds to English 'he is one of the men'. See the entry for N{-gə}V for a longer explanation of the way sentences with this affix are structured.

If the possessor, resp. subject, is singular, the meaning is 'part', rather than 'member'. For example:

Such constructions are perhaps less common with {ila}N. Instead, the partitive affix N{taq}N may be used. Other stems used in partitive constructions are aappaq and arlaq.


Inflection

Declension pattern
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Default/none

Notes on declension:

This stem is almost always only used with possessive endings. Thus, we do not give a full declension pattern.


Meanings and examples

  • ilakka, my companions

    Or 'my family members', 'my partners' etc., with ABS.1sg/pl, 'my Ns'.

  • ilaat aallarput, some of them had departed

    Here with ABS.3pl/pl N{-it}. The form ilaat is indistinguishable from the singular form with ABS.3pl/sg N{-at}. However, from the verb ending, we can see that the subject must be 3.pl, and not 3.sg, and we can therefore see that ilaat should be read as 'some of them', rather than 'one of them'.

  • nunap ilaa, a part of the country

    With ABS.3sg/sg, N{-a}. Possessor is singular, so the meaning here is 'part', rather than 'member'.

  • Nuuk Kalaallit Nunaata illoqarfiisa ilagaat, Nuuk is one of the towns of Greenland

    Literally: 'the towns of the land of the Kalaallit have Nuuk as their one part'. Nuuk is the object, hence it is in the absolutive case, and it is the thing that is part of a larger whole. Kalaallit Nunaata illoqarfiisa is the subject, hence it is in the ergative case (and plural), and it is the whole of which the object, Nuuk is part. ilagaat is the verb, literally: 'they have it as part' corresponding to English 'it is one of them'.


References