Details

General

Morphemic form: {accək}N
New orthography: assik, assinga
Old orthography: ássik, ássinga
Sources: [SK71], [CWSL58], [CWSL51], [Uwn], [Uwn]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Weakening
Stem type(s): Strong k-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to Kleinschmidt [SK71], the meaning of this stem is 'an image/imitation (of some original)'. This then gives rise to a few, more specific meanings: 'his image' (i.e. 'something that resembles him', also 'his double; someone who looks like him'), but also 'portrait', 'map', and 'model (of something)'.

Form and etymology:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary, the stem derives from a morpheme {atəði}, seemingly with loss of /ə/. Then

and /tc/ is then assimilated to /cc/, which is non-standard (usually, /tc/ becomes 'ts'). Thus, to avoid ambiguity, I record the stem as /accək/ rather than /atcək/.

This stem declines with nasalation of /k/, according to [CWSL51], which is peculiar, since the final vowel is /i/, rather than /ə/. I have therefore decided to record this stem as /accək/, rather than /accik/.

Variant forms:

Today, some of the possessive forms have become lexicalised, but otherwise, this stem is regarded as archaic. Instead, the stem is often viewed (and declined) like a vowel-stem, i.e. {acci}N, rather than as a k-stem. Some speakers even regard this as a weak q-stem instead, and will therefore say asseq in singular. This form seems to have developed from the vowel-stem form; however, this form is not officially recognised in the Oqaatsit dictionary [CBBJRPIKJR97], which only lists the vowel-stem form. The form with a final weak /q/ is also not used for further derivation; only the present form, or the vowel-stem form are (e.g. assigaa, assigiipput), so I do not record the weak-q form as a separate form.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: Strong k-stem
Declension type: up-declined
Declension sandhi: Weakening

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography assik assing assik, assingup, assingit,
Phonemic orthography accək accəŋ accək, accəŋup, accəŋit,


Meanings and examples

Where Possessor indicates the original.

With possessive endings.

  • nunap assinga, map (of the land)
  • silap assinga, globe [SK71]

    I.e. an imitation/image of the world.


References