Examples
Meaning
it is ...
Notes
or 'they are', if the plural form *{uku} is used. This enclitic can form a main clause, which can even take an object clause; i.e. 'it is N, that is ...'. This construction is an example of clefting in Greenlandic. There can never be coreference between the subject of the object clause and the 'dummy subject' it of the main clause formed with this enclitic; hence, the object clause will always be in the participial mood (and never in contemporative mood).
| Kalaallisut | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| sunaana? | what is it? | From suna? 'what' plus *{una}. |
| suunuku? | what are they? | From the plural form of suna?, i.e. suut?, thus taking the plural form *{uku}. |
| uangaana | it is me | From 1.sg personal pronoun {uvaŋa}. |
| Piitaruna? | is it Piitaq? | With interrogative intonation. It could also be used with indicative intonation, if e.g. Piitaq called someone on the phone. |
| uangaana Piitamik ateqartunga | it is me whose name is Piitaq | From 1.sg personal pronoun {uvaŋa}. Here uangaana forms a main clause, and Piitamik ateqartunga is the object clause, which is in the participial mood, since there is no coreference between the subjects. |
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