Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {qitŋu(j)aq}N |
| New orthography: | qinnguaq, qinnuaq, qinngussat, qinnussat |
| Old orthography: | ĸínguaĸ, ĸingnuaĸ, ĸíngússat, ĸingnússat |
| Sources: | [22] |
| Combinations: | View list |
| Right sandhi: | Default/none |
| Inflection sandhi: | Geminating, Injection |
| Stem type(s): | Weak q-stem |
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
This stem denotes a ray of light. Nowadays, this could also be artificial light, but originally it would refer to a ray of light from the sun (or the moon), filtering through the clouds, so it can be seen in the air.
The stem has two different forms, i.e. qinnguaq and qinnuaq. According to Kleinschmidt [14], the form qinnguaq is 'provincial', but later dictionaries either only record this form, or record it as the primary form. Furthermore, according to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [22], the historical, reconstructed form is derived from a verbal stem {qitŋuʀ-}, which is consistent with the 'provincial' form qinnguaq. The alternative form, qinnuaq, seems to be from a kind of progressive assimilation instead, where the articulation place of /t/ has affected the nasal /ŋ/, thus shifting it to /n/.
For the final part of the morpheme, the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary does not offer any explanation. However, there appears to be a dropped consonant, here written as (j), which resurfaces during inflection, where it geminates to [cc].
Inflection sandhi:
The stem has gemination of an unwritten consonant between /ua/. In the form recorded here, we indicate this unwritten consonant as (j).
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
| Declension type: | p-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Geminating |
| Gemination type: | j⇒cc |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | qinngussa | qinngua | qinnguaq, qinngussap, qinngussat, |
| Old orthography | ĸíngússa | ĸíngua | ĸínguaĸ, ĸíngússap, ĸíngússat, |
| Phonemic orthography | qitŋujja | qitŋua | qitŋuaq, qitŋujjap, qitŋujjat, |
Notes on declension:
This is the inflection with gemination.
Meanings and examples
I.e., a ray of light, especially from the sun, filtering through the clouds, so it can be seen in the air. Also in plural, e.g. seqerngup qinnguai, 'rays of the sun'.