Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {inuk}N |
| New orthography: | inuk, inua, inuit |
| Old orthography: | inuk, inua, inuit |
| Sources: | [10, 14, 13, 16] |
| Combinations: | Click here |
| Right sandhi: | Default/none,
|
| Inflection sandhi: | Default/none,
|
| Stem type(s): |
Regular k-stem,
|
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
The basic meaning of this stem is 'human', but it is also commonly used as a general ethnonym for people inhabiting the Arctic (i.e. speakers of the Inuit languages).
Kleinschmidt [10] also describes a secondary meaning with possessive endings, which perhaps generally can be translated as 'Possessor's inhabitant', which then can yield a diverse collection of meanings depending on the Possessor, ranging from a chick fetus inside an egg to Santa Clause/Father Christmas (see the examples).
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | Regular k-stem |
| Declension type: | up-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Default/none |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | inuk | inu |
inuk
inuup
inuit
|
| Phonemic orthography | inuk | inu |
inuk
inuup
inuit
|
Meanings and examples
It is also used as a unisex name, Inuk. It is also used as a common ethnonym (endonym) for the people inhabiting the Arctic, cf. also {kalaaliq}N.
This can have a wide variety of meanings. The 'inhabitant' can either be in a physical or spiritual sense, i.e. 'inhabitant' understood as 'soul' or 'spirit'.
- manniup inua, chick within an egg
[10]
Literally: 'inhabitant of the egg'.
- kilaap inua, scabies mite (within a scabies boil)
[10]
Literally: 'inhabitant of the boil'.
- qaannap inua, the kayak's owner
[10]
- illup inua, the inhabitant (owner) of the house. Also in plural, _illup inui_, 'inhabitants of the house'.
[10]
- nunap inui, inhabitants of the country
[10]
Cf. also the other meaning, 'native', i.e. 'the land's (native) inhabitants'.
- juullip inua, Santa Clause; Father Christmas
[16]
I.e. 'the spirit of Christmas' (Danish: Julemanden).