Details

General

Morphemic form: N{-u}V
New orthography: -uvoq, -avoq, -juvoq, +uvoq
Old orthography: -uvoĸ
Sources: [14, 11, 8]
Combinations: Click here
See also: N{ŋŋuq}V, N{-gə}V,
Left sandhi:
Truncative,
weakening,
Right sandhi:
Default/none,
Inflection sandhi:
Default/none,
Stem type: Vowel stem
Diathesis: Subjective
Valency:
Monovalent,

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This is the copula affix, and the most common way of expressing the equivalent of the verb 'to be' in English. There are also other ways of expressing 'to be', in particular the verbal possessive affix N{-gə}V and the verb base {ət}V.

Note that this affix has subject incorporation. The incorporated noun is the subject predicate of the resulting verb. A stranded modifier of the incorporated noun will be in the absolutive case, and appears after the verb.

Consider for example the noun phrase sanasoq pikkorissoq, a skilled carpenter. Here, pikkorissoq, '(someone who is) skilled/proficient' is a modifier of sanasoq, 'carpenter', and after incorporation this modifier is stranded. Therefore, it appears after the verb sanasuuvoq and in the absolutive case. Using this affix, we therefore get

by incorporating sanasoq and adding the indicative 3.sg ending V{vuq}, and leaving pikkorissoq stranded after the verb. The affix N{ŋŋuq}V, 'become', behaves similarly.


Left sandhi:

The affix is normally truncative. However, there is one exception: When the affix is added to a strong q-stem, almost always an /əq/ stem, it cannot remove the final /q/, which instead is weakened to /r/. This is especially the case with the affix V{nəq}N and stems derived with it, where the combination yields:

This may also happen with other words ending in /nəq/ due to the similarity, even if these are not actually formed with V{nəq}N. For example {iqnəq}N, erneq, 'son', which is not derived with V{nəq}N, but which nevertheless becomes e.g. erneruvoq, 'he is a son'. However, there is also the (regularly formed) verb erniuvoq, which is lexicalised with the more specific meaning 'he is born'. Thus, strangely, we have that the non-standard formation yields the general meaning, whilst the regular formation yields a special, lexicalised meaning.


Meanings and examples

A stranded modifier of the incorporated noun will be in the absolutive case, and appears after the verb.

  • sanasuuvoq, he a carpenter

    From sanasoq, 'carpenter'.

  • sanasuuvoq pikkorissoq, he is a skilled carpenter [7]

    From sanasoq pikkorissoq, 'a skilled carpenter'.

  • angutaavunga, I am a man

    From {aŋutə}N, 'man'. This example just illustrates /u/ regularly becoming [a] when following [a].

  • qallunaajuvunga, I am a Dane

    From qallunaaq, 'Dane' (or more generally 'white man'). This example illustrates the regular epenthetic injection of a /j/ before /u/ when required by phonotactics.

  • aqqusineruvoq, it is a road

    From aqqusineq, 'road'. This word is formed with V{nəq}N, and the final /q/ is therefore (irregularly) not deleted, but instead just weakened to /r/.


Tags