Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {ənə}N |
| New orthography: | ini, inaa |
| Old orthography: | ine, inâ |
| Sources: | [13, 17, 8, 16, 19] |
| Combinations: | View list |
| Right sandhi: | Default/none |
| Inflection sandhi: | Default/none |
| Stem type(s): | Weak q-stem |
Description and behaviour
Form and usage:
This stem has a number of related meanings. According to Kleinschmidt [13], the basic meaning is 'place', often with a possessive ending. However, it is more commonly used in a more specific sense of 'room', and also 'apartment; place to live', and (likely from older times), 'place to stay/lie', maybe e.g. a bed in an old inuit house. Another, related meaning is 'a bird's nest'.
Furthermore, it is also used for the place, where something has sat/lain and where it has left a mark, e.g. when someone has fallen in the snow. From this then derives a related meaning, 'tracks' left in the snow. However, these other meanings do not seem common nowadays; for example, Oqaatsit [19] only records the first set of meanings: 'room; nest; living space'.
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | Weak q-stem |
| Declension type: | p-declined |
| Declension sandhi: | Default/none |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | ini | ina | ini, inip, init, |
| Old orthography | ini | ina | ine, inip, init, |
| Phonemic orthography | ənə | ənə | ənə, ənəp, ənət, |
Notes on declension:
Note that /ə/ has taken the sound [i] in this stem, when it is not followed by another phoneme, because /ə/ could not have avoided taking a sound in this context, since no word in Kalaallisut can end on the sound [n]. However, the /ə/ still takes the sound [a] by the ə-rule, whenever it is followed by a vowel; especially the vowel-initial endings.
Meanings and examples
E.g. in a room house or an apartment, but also e.g. a bird's nest. This meaning is the one used today.
- illu pingasunik initaqarpoq, The house has three rooms.
- nerlerit inaat, The nest of the geese.
This is also the name of an airbase close to Illoqqortoormiut in East Greenland.
- aaqqatit assannut inillit, mittens with space for the fingers
[13]
I.e. gloves.
Or 'the space where something has been, and has left an impression', for example in the snow. This meaning does not seem to be used nowadays.