MOFO - Details

Details

General

Morphemic form:	{atəq}N
New orthography:	ateq, aqqit
Old orthography:	ateĸ, arĸit
Sources:	[MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97], [CWSL51], [JP67]
Combinations:	View list
Right sandhi:	Default/none
Inflection sandhi:	Metathesis
Stem type(s):	Strong q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This stem means 'name'. It has some very common usages, especially the following:

qanoq ateqarpit?, 'what is your name?', literally 'how do you have name?'
N-mik ateqarpunga, 'my name is N', using the instrumental case to modify the stem incorporated by N{-qaq}V.
N-mik atilik, '(something) named N', or '(something) with the name N', using the instrumental case to modify the stem incorporated by N{-lək}N.

Inflection sandhi:

The stem normally inflects with metathesis, i.e. aqqit, aqqa etc. However, younger speakers may alternatively inflect it as a weak q-stem , and thus say e.g. atit, atia instead. This is not considered correct, and I therefore do not record this as an alternative inflection.

Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type:	Strong q-stem
Declension type:	up-declined
Declension sandhi:	Metathesis
Metathesis type:	Cəq⇒Cq

	Stem before consonant	Stem before vowel	Notable forms
New orthography	ater	aqq	ateq, aqqup/aqqip, aqqit, atii
Old orthography	ater	arĸ	ateĸ, arĸup/arĸip, aqqit, atii
Phonemic orthography	atəq	atq	atəq, atqup/atqip, atqit, atii

Notes on declension:

Note also the special, archaic absolutive 4sg/sg possessive form atii with the variant ending N{-i}, where /ə/ does not become [a]. Apparently, this ending can remove the final /q/, just like e.g. a truncative affix might, and in these cases /ə/ does not alternate with [a], since it 'already has' taken the sound [i]. Similarly, with e.g. N{-u}V we also get atiuvoq.

According to Schultz-Lorentzen's grammar [CWSL51], this stem can also be ip-declined (i.e. aqqip instead of aqqup). However, this does not seem to be the preferred pattern today, so I do not record this as a separate pattern.

Meanings and examples

qanoq ateqarpit? Piitamik ateqarpunga, what is your name? My name is Piitaq

With N{-qaq}V.
angut Piitamik atilik, a man named Peter; a man by the name of Peter

With N{-lək}N.
atsiortup aqqa, name of the undersigned

This could e.g. be a label for a field in a contract, indicating where to sign.

Search the corpus for further examples.

References

[MFSJLK10] Michael Fortescue, Steven Jacobson, Lawrence Kaplan (2010): Comparative Eskimo Dictionary (2ED).
[SK71] Samuel Kleinschmidt (1871): Den grønlandske Ordbog.
[CWSL58] C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen (1958): Den Grønlandske Ordbog.
[CBBJRPIKJR97] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.
[CWSL51] C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen (1951): Det Vestgrønlandske Sprog.
[JP67] Jonathan Petersen (1967): Ordbogêraĸ.