Examples
Meaning
little (cute) N
Notes
With connotations of cute/sweet/dear. It is a very common affix used for endearment and in names, but rarely with plain objects (like a rock, a house, a dog etc.), unless they have some significance to the speaker; to express the plain meaning of 'small N', without the connotations of affection/dear/cute, N{-araq}N would be used instead.
| Kalaallisut | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arnannguaq | sweet little woman | From {aqnaq}N, 'woman'. This is a common name. |
| Angutinnguaq | sweet little man | From {aŋutə}N, 'man'. This is a name. |
| ininnguaq | a cozy little room | From {inə}N, 'room'. Here, N{ŋŋuaq}N adds a connotation of 'cozy' (or something similar) besides 'little', whereas iniaraq would just mean 'a small room'. |
| illunnguuvoq | it is a nice little house | From {əŋlu}N{ŋŋuaq}N{-u}V{vuq}. This example illustrates that /aq/ is also dropped before N{-u}V. |
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