Details

General


Morphemic form: *{ət}V
New orthography: -miippoq, -niippoq, qanorippoq, imaappoq, taamaappoq
Old orthography: -mĩpoĸ, -nĩpoĸ, ĸanorípoĸ, imaípoĸ, taimáipoĸ
Combinations: Click here
Variants: {ət}V,
Left sandhi:
Default,
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 morpheme is the stem {ət}V, but used as a derivational enclitic. It has three usages:


Left sandhi:

The morpheme joins onto the preceding sound in the standard way for enclitics, i.e. by weakening a word-final consonant.


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, 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.

  • 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 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]

    From {ima}, 'thus'.

  • taamaappoq, it is like that

    I.e., like something previously mentioned.

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

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

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


References