Details

General

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this stem is 'Agent searches for Patient', implying that Patient has been lost or misplaced. The stem has no less than two unusual HTR-forms:

• ujarlerpoq, formed using the rare HTR-morpheme {(k)liq}V. This form is given its own entry in the Oqaatsit dictionary [14].
• ujaasivoq, formed using the usual HTR-morpheme V{ði}V, but on a stem with a seemingly lengthened vowel. This form is listed as the only HTR-form of ujarpaa in the Oqaatsit dictionary.

The source of the lengthened vowel in the second case is unclear. According to Kleinschmidt and Schultz-Lorentzen [9, 11], the only HTR-form given is ujardlerpoĸ, new orthography: ujarlerpoq. However, for the stem ujáupâ (i.e. ujaappaa), formed from combination with V{-(cc)ut(ə)}V, two different HTR-forms are listed: The standard ujáussivoĸ (i.e. ujaassivoq), and a non-standard form, ujaussivoq (i.e. ujaasivoq), with an unexplained loss of the diacritic. This latter form, when transcribed into the new orthography, matches the HTR-form given in Oqaatsit. Hence, one possible explanation is a confusion with this variant HTR-form of ujáupâ.

An alternative possibility is that the HTR-form ujaasivoq is formed under influence from {qinəq}V, which also has a strange HTR-form, ĸinaissivoĸ (i.e. qinaasivoq) with a lengthened vowel. However, according to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [16], this form has not arisen by combination with V{-(cc)ut(ə)}V, but instead with the affix V{-a}V indicating sequential action.

To further complicate the matter, the two competing HTR-forms seem to be used in slightly different senses nowadays, according to some native speakers (personal communication):

• ujarlerpoq is used when searching for something you know is somewhere, but just cannot readily seem to find. For example, if you are looking for a pen in your office. You know, you left it there somewhere, but you just cannot readily find it.
• ujaasivoq is used when searching e.g. for a missing person, or searching for something on the Internet. This meaning seems to be broader, or indicate that you do not necessarily know whether the search will yield a result, e.g. because you do not know whether the missing person actually is in the area where you are searching, or because you do not know whether a page with the desired information exists on the Internet.

Notable forms:

• HTR-form: {ujaq}V + V{(k)liq}V ⇒ /ujaqliq/
  

  This is the only HTR-form given by Kleinschmidt and Schultz-Lorentzen [9, 11].

• HTR-form: {ujaq}V + ? + V{ði}V ⇒ /ujauci/
  

  This is the HTR-form given in Oqaatsit [14].

• Passive participle: {ujaq}V + V{-ðaq}N ⇒ /ujagaq/
  

  This is the passive participle form given in Oqaatsit [14].

Meanings and examples