Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {qəŋaq}N |
| New orthography: | qingaq, qinngat |
| Old orthography: | qingaĸ, qíngat |
| 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:
This stem has multiple different meanings, although not all dictionaries list all the same meanings:
- The basic meaning is 'nose' [13, 16, 19]. Note that Kleinschmidt [13] has 'nostril' in singular, and 'nose' in plural (e.g. qingai, 'his nose'), similar to e.g. assak, 'finger' (singular) and assaat 'hand' (plural). However, nowadays it is normally just used in singular for 'nose'.
- A 'smoke hole' or 'exhaust vent' in a house [13, 16, 19]. This meaning seems to have been derived from the primary meaning 'nose', i.e. the smoke hole is 'the nose of the house'.
- A 'hard protuberance' at the base of a bird's bill, e.g. a swan's [13, 16]. This may be because it is perceived as 'the bird's nose'.
- Two holes in the harpoon, through which the cord is fastened [13]. This meaning is probably by analogy with 'nose', because the holes may look like two nostrils.
Inflection sandhi:
This stem has an uncommon form of gemination of /ŋ/ to /ŋŋ/.
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
| Declension type: | p-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Geminating |
| Gemination type: | ŋ⇒ŋŋ |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | qinnga | qinga | qingaq, qinngap, qinngat, |
| Old orthography | qínga | qinga | qingaĸ, qíngap, qíngat, |
| Phonemic orthography | qəŋŋa | qəŋa | qəŋaq, qəŋŋap, qəŋŋat, |
Meanings and examples
Kleinschmidt [13] has 'nostril' in singular, and 'nose' in plural, but the newer dictionary Oqaatsit [19] has 'nose' in singular. It is also used for the hard protuberance at the base of a bird's bill, e.g. a swan's, according to Kleinschmidt [13] and Schultz-Lorentzen [16], likely because this is interrpeted as the bird's 'nose'.
- tuukkap qingai, two holes in the harpoon through which the cord is fastened
[13]
Likely because these holes resemble nostrils.
- illup qingaa, a hole in the roof, through which heat and smoke is led out.
[13]