Details

General


Morphemic form: {ət}V
New orthography: ippoq, -miippoq, -niippoq
Old orthography: ípoĸ, -mĩpoĸ, -nĩpoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: t-stem
Diathesis: Subjective
Valency change: None
Valency:
Monovalent,

Description and behaviour


Form and usage:

This stem means something like 'to be'. However, it is only used in conjunction with certain cases (locative: -mi, ni; and equalis: -tut) and particles (qanoq, 'what'; soorlu, 'like'; ima, taama, 'thus'):

In the cases of locative endings, qanoq, and ima, taama, it is often joined directly onto the word like an enclitic, or, less commonly, written with a hyphen, i.e.:

These morphemes are so strongly coupled that we arguably might consider these constructions to be pseudomorphemes in their own rights, i.e. {qanuq ət}V or {qanurət}V etc. However, sometimes other words may appear in between the noun/particle and {ət}V, e.g. the noun denoting the Actor, so we do not consider the constructions as individual morphemes here.


Right sandhi:

Even though this is a t-stem, it apparently does not have the usual 'ts' when followed by the intransitive participle V{ðuq}N. However, it may still lose its final /t/ when followed by t-truncative affixes, especially V{tət}V.


Meanings and examples


With locative case endings, i.e. N{LOC} {ət}V, or, even more commonly N{LOC}{ət}V, with the base joined directly onto the locative case ending like an enclitic.

  • Nuummiippoq, he is in Nuuk
    [4]

    From the locative singular form of Nuuk, i.e. Nuummi.

  • illumiippoq, he is in the house
    [4]

    Alternatively written illumi ippoq

  • uaniippoq, it is here (with me/where I am)
    [4]

    Alternatively written uani ippoq, with the demonstrative adverbial (locative case) uani, 'here'.

  • pavaniippoq, it is up there
    [4]

    Alternatively written pavani ippoq, with the demonstrative adverbial (locative case) pavani, 'up there'.

  • annanniut issiaviup ataaniippoq, the life vest is (located) under the chair

    This is a sentence you might see in the safety instructions on an aeroplane in Greenland. {atə}N is a spatial noun denoting 'area under Possessor'. Issiaviup ataani thus means 'in the area under the chair', with 3sg/sg locative possessive ending N{-ani}, and issiaviup, 'the chair' as the explicit possessor. The explicit subject of {ət}V{vuq} is then annanniut, 'tool/means to be saved', i.e. the life vest. Thus, this example illustrates the use of {ət}V with a possessive locative ending, which can look strange at first, when the words are written without a space.

  • sissamiitillunga ilulissat ilaat aserorpoq, while I was on the beach, one of the icebergs broke asunder
    [10]

    The interesting word here is sissamiitillunga, i.e. sissami itillunga, with {ət}V joined onto sissami, 'on the beach'. It is then followed by V{tət}V and the transitive contemporative any/1sg ending V{(l)luŋa} in the special construction meaning 'while'. The affix is t-truncative, hence the combination {ət}V{tət}V{(l)luŋa} yields /ətətluŋa/ ⇒ itillunga.

  • qaqqap qaarpiaani ukallit marluk ipput, right on a mountain top were two snow hares

    This example illustrates that the explicit subject of {ət}V alternatively can appear in between it and the locative noun phrase. We have qaqqap qaarpiaani, 'right on the mountain's top' as the locative noun phrase, and ukallit marluk, 'two snow hares' as the explicit subject of ipput, i.e. {ət}V with intransitive indicative 3pl ending V{(v)vut}. The line is from the lyrics of a nursery rhyme.

  • Ilulissaniissupparput, we kept him in Ilulissat
    [4]

    From combination with V{-(cc)ut(ə)}V or V{-ccut(ə)}V in an apparently causative sense, 'we caused him to be in'.

With equalis case endings, i.e. N{EQU} {ət}V.

  • qallunaatut ippoq, he is like a European/Dane
    [4]

    From the equalis singular form of qallunaaq, 'European/Dane'.

  • peqanngitsutut ippoq, it is as if it isn't there
    [4]

    From the equalis singular form of peqanngitsoq, '(something that) is not there'.

  • qatanngutittut itippara, he is as/like a brother to me
    [4]

    Or 'I regard him as my brother'. Alternatively also just ippara without V{tət}V, although that may just be an abbreviation. Here we have qatanngut, 'brother' with 1sg/sg possessive equalis N{mtut}, and V{tət}V joined onto {ət}V in the 'regards' sense, similar to the combination with N{-u}V, i.e. V{-utət}V. The affix is t-truncative, hence the combination {ət}V{tət}V{vaqga} yields /ətətvara/ ⇒ itippara.

With the question particle qanoq, i.e. {qanuq} {ət}V, and usually (given the meaning) with interrogative verb endings.

  • qanoq ippa?, how is he (doing)?
    [4]

    Alternatively written qanorippa?, with 3sg interrogative ending V{va}. Likewise, qanoq ippit? or qanorippit?, 'how are thou (doing)?' is a very common expression when you meet someone you know, e.g. on the street.

  • qanoq igaajuk?, what do thou think of it?
    [8]

    Or 'how do thou find it (to be)?' This example is with V{-gə}V, 'consider' and transitive interrogative 2sg/3sg V{vijuk}. The affix has ə-contraction of endings, so /v/ is deleted from the mood marker, hence {ət}V{-gə}V{vijuk} ⇒ /əgəijuk/ ⇒ igaajuk.

  • qanoq ittunik atorumavit?, which ones do thou want to borrow?
    [10]

    Or literally: 'how are those (that) you want to borrow'? In this example, qanoq ittunik, 'some that are how?' acts as a modifier of the verb atorumavit, 'thou want to borrow (something)?', where (something) is an oblique object referenced by the instrumental case; here instrumental plural N{nək}. The construction {qanuq} {ət}V is here nominalised by the intransitive participle V{ðuq}N, and qanoq ittoq thus means '(something that) is how?'. In this example, we also see that even though {ət}V indeed is a t-stem, it does not get the usual 'ts' in combination with V{ðuq}N.

With the particle ima and is anaphoric variant taama, i.e. {ima} {ət}V and {taima} {ət}V, usually joined as an enclitic with assimilation of the [i] sound by [a], i.e. imaappoq and taamaappoq.

  • imaappoq, it is thus
    [4]

    Or ima ippoq, if written as separate words.

With the particle soorlu, i.e. {suuqlu} {ət}V.

  • soorlu taanna ittoq, taamattaaq aappaa ippoq, like this one is, thus/so is also the other
    [4]

    This sentence has two examples of the usage of {ət}V: First is soorlu ... ittoq, 'like it is' with intransitive participial 3sg V{ðuq} and taanna, 'this (aforementioned) one' as the explicit subject. Secondly, we have taama ... ippoq, 'it (the aforementioned) is thus/so', here written in two words because the enclitic *{(p)tauq}, 'also', and the explicit subject aappaa, 'the other one', appear in between.


References