Details

General

Morphemic form: N{miu}N
New orthography: +miu
Old orthography: -mio
Sources: [9, 11, 14]
Combinations: Click here
Variants: N{miuq}N,
Left sandhi:
Default,
ə-eliding,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is a variant form of N{miuq}N, 'inhabitant of N'. There is no difference in meaning, and the two can be used interchangeably.

The present form seem more common in older dictionaries, and it is therefore likely more common in older literature. However, nowadays, it seems that the variant form N{miuq}N is preferred.


Left sandhi:

The affix may apparently sometimes elide a final /ə/ on tə-stems and instead attach to /t/. This is seen in some of the examples in Kleinschmidt {{ cite(kl_dict|Examples under .miugâ) }} and Schultz-Lorentzen {{ cite(sl_dict|Examples under -miugâ) }}.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Default/none

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography +miu +miu
+miu
+miup
+miut
Phonemic orthography miu miu
miu
miup
miut


Meanings and examples

Comparable to English '-er', as in e.g. New-Yorker. The affix is common in town names.

  • Nuummiut, Nuuk-inhabitants [11]
  • Iluliarmiut, Ilulissat-inhabitants [11]

    From the morphemic form of Ilulissat, i.e. {ilulijaq}N.

  • nunamiut, people [11]

    Literally: 'the inhabitants of the land', from nuna, 'land'.

  • alanngormiut, the inhabitants of the settlement on the south side of the fjord [11]

    From alanngoq, 'the shadow side', i.e. the side of the fjord that is in shadow (from the mountains).

  • samanimiut, those who live out in the West [11]

    Irregularly formed, from samani, 'in the west'. This is actually a demonstrative adverb, but here it is interpreted as a noun stem.

  • saqqarmiu, medal [11]

    From saqqaq, 'front' (sun side), here referring to the chest, so literally 'inhabitant of the chest'.