Details

General

Morphemic form: V{nəq ajuq}V
New orthography: +neq ajorpoq, +neq ajorpaa
Old orthography: -neĸ ajorpoĸ, -neĸ ajorpâ
Sources: [SB03], [MF84], [FAJN19]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: V{nəq}N + {ajuq}V
See also: V{ðaq}V, V{ŋŋisainnaq}V
Left sandhi: Default, ə-eliding
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Default/none
Stem type: q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This 'pseudo-affix' is a special construction with abstract participle V{nəq}N and {ajuq}V, denoting that the Subject categorically does not Vb. It is commonly used to express the inverse of the habitual affix V{ðaq}V, and the corresponding word is formed by replacing V{ðaq}V by this construct, V{nəq ajuq}V. Compare for example:

Nielsen's description: a pseudo-affix
According to Nielsen [FAJN19, p. 196], this construct is really a single, compound affix. I have therefore decided to regard this construct as a single morpheme, even though it forms two separate words, because its meaning is not at all obvious from the individual meaning of the constituents; and furthermore, because valency is preserved by the construction: Thus, if the stem is divalent, then the resulting 'stem' after adding this construct will still be divalent. This means that {ajuq}V can actually take a transitive ending in this construction, which would otherwise be impossible, since {ajuq}V itself is monovalent.

The resulting word is sometimes even written with a hyphen, i.e. +neq-ajor-, which further signifies that this should be regarded as a single affix. There is also some doubt as to whether even an enclitic such as *{lu} can be added onto -neq, or whether it must be moved al the way to the end of the ajor- stem. Thus, some speakers may prefer e.g. kaffisorneq ajorlunilu over kaffisornerlu ajorluni.

Lastly, Nielsen [FAJN19, p. 197] remarks that there can be multiple abstract nouns, separated by *{lu}, before a single {ajuq}V. He gives the example:

Here, both aqqaavaa, 'it (the animal) dives before he could get close enough to shoot it', and peerpaa, 'he gets rid of it', are transitive, and a transitive ending is therefore also used on ajulerpai. It is unclear whether such a construction would also be possible, if one stem were monovalent and the other were divalent. This construction contradicts the notation chosen in this dictionary, which views this construction as a single 'pseudo-affix' morpheme. However, it may alternatively be viewed as an abbreviation of

i.e. where ajuler- is repeated, with the second clause in the contemporative mood and with *{lu} on the final word. This construction is supposedly also possible.

Kleinschmidt's description
Kleinschmidt [SK71] also mentions this construction, but he does not record it as a special affix. Instead, he describes it under the entry for ajorpoĸ. According to him, {ajuq}V can also be used with transitive endings, but it seems from his examples that all those cases where this happens are either:

  1. cases where the preceding verb is divalent and has V{nəq}N added, and thus are instances of the present construction; or
  2. cases which can be read as if there is an omitted verb with V{nəq}N, and which therefore also can be read as instances of the present construct.

See further under the transitive usage of {ajuq}V.


Left sandhi:

Left sandhi is inherited from the left-most component, V{nəq}N. See this for details.


Meanings and examples

This construction is used to negate the meaning of habitual V{ðaq}V thus to create a word with the opposite meaning of habitual V{ðaq}V, replace that affix with this 'pseudo-affix'. It denotes that the subject categorically does not Vb (not even occasionally).

Tags: Uncategorised

  • kalaallisut oqalunneq ajorpunga, I do not speak Greenlandic

    Compare kalaallisut oqaluttarpunga, 'I speak Greenlandic' (habitually).

  • pujortarneq ajorpunga, I do not smoke [SB03]

    Compare pujortartarpunga 'I smoke (habitually)', that is, 'I'm a smoker'.

  • akilerneq ajorpara, I do not (habitually) pay it [SB03]

    Here akilerpaa is transitive (the stem is divalent) so we therefore here get ajorpara with the transitive ending V{IND.1sg/3sg}.

  • sukkulerneq ajorpoq, he does not use sugar [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    I.e. in his coffee or tea.

  • kamanneq ajorpoq, he is never angry [SK71]
  • taamaalillugu ajorneq ajorpoq, (being) in this way, it is always good [SK71]

    Note: ajorneq ajorpoq is {ajuq}V + V{nəq ajuq}V + V{IND.3sg}, so literally 'it is never bad'.

  • tusarneq ajorparput, we have never heard of him [SK71]

    Here, tusar- is divalent, so the valency is preserved and we therefore have a transitive ending here.

  • ajorineq ajorpai, he always likes them [SK71]

    From {ajuq}V + V{-gə}V + V{nəq ajuq}V + V{IND.3sg/3pl}, so literally 'he never thinks/consider them bad'.


Search the corpus for further examples.


Tags

References