Details

General

Morphemic form: {nalu}V
New orthography: naluaa, naluvoq
Old orthography: naluvâ, naluvoĸ
Sources: [13, 16, 17, 19]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Default/none
Stem type: q-stem
Diathesis: Agentive (NPP)
Valency: Divalent

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this stem is 'Agent knows not Patient', and, if used intransitively 'Agent does not know' or 'Agent is unknowing/ignorant'. For example naluaa, 'he does not know him/it', naluvoq, 'he is ignorant', and so on.

Notice the inherently negative meaning. Thus, in order to express that the Agent in fact does know something, one has to negate the present stem with V{ŋŋit}V, i.e. nalunngilaa, 'he knows him/it', nalunngilaq, 'he knows/is knowing', and so on.

Regardless of whether the stem is negated or not, it can function as a cognitive stem, meaning it can take another verb (in the contemporative or participial mood) as an object clause. For example, nalunngilara aallareersoq, 'I know (that) he has already left'. In this case, the 3sg Object marking does not refer to anything; or perhaps one could say that it refers to the object clause itself.

In older (or more literary) texts, it is also possible to use the 'double marking', where the subject of the object clause is also indicated as the Object marking in the verb ending on {nalu}V. For example, nalunngilakkit asagit, 'I know that you love him' (i.e. with a 1sg/2sg marking on nalunngit- instead of the 1sg/3sg marking nalunngilara).

Lastly, note also the special construction V{nəq nalu}V denoting 'cannot (because of ignorance)'.


Notable forms:

Meanings and examples

And 'Agent does not know; Agent is unknowing/ignorant' is used intransitively.

  • Guutimik nalusoq, heathen [13]

    Literally: 'one who does not know (the Christian) God', with V{ðuq}N.

  • nalunngilat taamaassanngitsoq, you know it is not supposed to be like that [13]

    Literally: 'you know that it shall not be thus'.

  • naluara qanoq kalaallisut taasaraat, I do not know what one calls that in Greenlandic

    Or: 'I do not know how/what it is called in Greenlandic'.


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