Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {nanuq}N |
| New orthography: | nanoq, nanu, nannut |
| Old orthography: | nanoĸ, nanu, nánut |
| Sources: | [13, 17, 8, 16, 19] |
| Combinations: | View list |
| Right sandhi: | Default/none |
| Inflection sandhi: | Geminating |
| Stem type(s): | Weak q-stem |
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
The meaning of this stem is 'bear', most commonly referring to the polar bear, Ursus maritimus.
Many dictionaries [13, 16, 19] list two forms of this words, either as a q-stem, nanoq, or a vowel stem, nanu, and the forms are used interchangeably today. However, according to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [21], the reconstructed historic form is {nanuʀ}, i.e. with a final, uvular consonant. Thus, we here record the form with a final /q/.
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
| Declension type: | p-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Geminating |
| Gemination type: | n⇒nn |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | nannu | nanu | nanoq, nannup, nannut, |
| Phonemic orthography | nánu | nanu | nanoĸ, nánup, nánut, |
| Phonemic orthography | nannu | nanu | nanuq, nannup, nannut, |
Meanings and examples