Details
General
| Morphemic form: | V{niaqcarə}V |
| New orthography: | +niarsaraa, +niarsaraaq |
| Old orthography: | -niarssarâ, -niarssaraoĸ |
| Sources: | [17, 19, 18, 11] |
| Combinations: | View list |
| Constituents: | V{niaq}V + V{(q)carə}V |
| Left sandhi: | Default |
| Right sandhi: | Default/none |
| Inflection sandhi: | ə-contraction |
| Stem type: | ə-stem |
| Diathesis: | None |
| Valency: | Preserving, Preserving |
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
Form:
This affix is not mentioned in the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [21], nor in Schultz-Lorentzen [16] or any of the older dictionaries.
The earliest attestation seems to be in Ordbogeeraq [17], which gives the forms -niarssarâ, -niarssaraoĸ, and it subsequently appears in Fortescue [18] and in later editions of the Greenlandic dictionaries, e.g. Oqaatsit [19].
This suggests that this affix is a fairly recent invention.
I assume it is formed from V{niaq}V, 'intend' and an obscure, presumably non-productive morpheme V{(q)carə}V with unclear meaning.
The latter is mentioned in Ordbogeeraq [17] and Fortescue [18], but they do not agree on the meaning, and the affix does not appear in any later dictionaries.
The affix only appears with transitive endings in Oqaatsit [19]. However, neither V{niaq}V nor V{(q)carə}V normally appear to increase the valency of the stem, and the latter is given with both transitive and intransitive endings in Ordbogeeraq [17]. The transitive endings can be explained by the fact that all the examples given in that dictionary are of divalent stems, so we assume the affix is simply valency-preserving. This is supported by Nielsen [11], who gives a single example of its usage on a monovalent stem, where it indeed takes an intransitive ending.
Meaning:
With respect to the meaning, there also seems to be some confusion.
According to Ordbogen [20], 'try' can be expressed in the following ways:
- misilippaa, 'he tries it' (as an experiment, test, or for the first time)
- ooqattaarpaa, 'he attempts it' (or 'tries it' in the sense of tasting e.g. a new kind of food)
- +niarsaraa, 'he tries/strives (with some difficulty) to Vb it'
However, the present affix seems to be preferred, at least by some speakers (Ilulissat), over ooqattaarpaa as a way to express 'attempt' (and thus limiting ooqattaarpaa to mean 'try tasting' or 'try on' e.g. a new pair of shoes). Whether this reflects a general change in the usage/meaning, or just local preferences, is unclear.
Meanings and examples
- ammarniarsaraa, he tries (hard) to open it
[19]
From ammarpaa, 'he opens it'.
- tiguniarsaraa, he tries (hard) to grab hold of it
[19]
From tiguaa, 'he takes it'.
- tikinniarsaraa, he tries (hard) to get to it
[19]
Or 'to reach it', where 'it' refers to a destination. From tikippaa, 'he arrives at it'.
- iserniarsaraaq, he tries to get in
[11]
From iserpoq, 'he enters'. The ending is the usual intransitive indicative 3sg ending V{vuq} with ə-contraction.