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:
- It is primarily used as a verbalisation of the locative case, i.e. -miippoq, -niippoq with locative endings.
- It is commonly used with {ima} and {taima}, 'thus', to express '
Actor
is thus', written imaappoq and taamaappoq, with assimilation of [i] to [a]. - It is sometimes used with {qanuq}, 'how?', to express '
Actor
is how?', written qanorippoq with weakening of the final /q/. However, in constructions with {qanuq}, it seems to be more common to write it in two words, or with a hyphen, cf. {ət}V.
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
- [4] C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958): Den Grønlandske Ordbog.
- [8] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.
- [10] Christian Berthelsen (1996): Kalaallisut Sungiusaatit.
- [13] Samuel Kleinschmidt (1871): Den grønlandske Ordbog.