Details

General

Morphemic form: N{-kutlak}N
New orthography: -kullak
Old orthography: -kutdlak
Sources: [SK71], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Variants: V{-kutlak}V, N{-kulak}N
Left sandhi: Truncative
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Default/none
Stem type(s): Regular k-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This affix is a nominal variant of V{-kutlak}V, but the meaning seems to have changed over time:


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: Regular k-stem
Declension type: up-declined
Declension sandhi: Default/none

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography -kullak -kulla -kullak, -kullaap, -kullaat
Phonemic orthography -kutlak -kutla -kutlak, -kutlaup, -kutlait

Notes on declension:

This affix is not listed in Ordbogeeraq [JP67], but that dictionary instead gives a nominalising variant, which inflects like a regular, up-declined k-stem. Presumably, the present affix inflects in the same way.


Meanings and examples

This is the meaning given by Schultz-Lorentzen [CWSL58]. However, this meaning may not be productive nowadays.

  • issusuukullak, a fat, clumsy person [CWSL58]

    From issusooq, 'thick'.

  • Maaliakullak, 'Clumsy-Maalia' [CWSL58]

    There is no direct translation, but the meaning is negative.

This is the meaning given in Oqaatsit [CBBJRPIKJR97], and the affix is presumably productive in this sense.

  • angutikullak, a rather big man [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    'Big' is here likely in the sense of 'chubby' rather than e.g. 'tall'.

  • illukullak, a rather large house [CBBJRPIKJR97]
  • qeqertakullak, a rather big island [CBBJRPIKJR97]
  • ujarakullak, a rather big rock [CBBJRPIKJR97]
  • Nuukullak, a rather big (long) promontory

    From nuuk, 'headland/promontory'. This is also the name of an area in Nuuk. In this case, the affix seems to denote 'long', i.e. 'extending rather far out into the sea'.


Search the corpus for further examples.


References