MOFO - Details

Details

General

Morphemic form:	{av}D
New orthography:	affa, taava, avani, avunga, avannga, avuuna, anna, assuma, akkua
Old orthography:	avfa, tâva, avane, avunga, avánga, avûna, avna, avssuma, avkua
Sources:	[MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [CWSL51], [JP67], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations:	View list
Right sandhi:	Default/none
Inflection sandhi:	Default/none, Demonstrative inflection
Stem type:	Other

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], this demonstrative stem is classified as 'away from speaker, on (same) level', 'more accessible' and 'extended' (signifying a wider area, rather than a specific point). However, in Kalaallisut, the general meaning is 'rightwards, along the coast', which in West Greenland corresponds to 'North' (and in East Greenland: 'South').

Inflection

Inflection pattern:

Stem type:	Other
Inflection sandhi:	Default/none, Demonstrative inflection
Sources:	[JP67], [CWSL51]

	Stem before consonant	Stem before vowel	Notable forms
New orthography	av	av	anna/taanna, assuma/taassuma, akkua/taakkua, affa/taava, avani, avunga, avannga, avuuna
Old orthography	av	av	avna/tâvna, avssuma/tâvssuma, avkua/tâvkua, avfa/tâva, avane, avunga, avánga, avûna
Phonemic orthography	av	av	una/taavna, avcuma/taavcuma, avkua/taavkua, avva/taava, avani, avunga, avaŋŋa, avuuna

Notes on inflection:

The inflection is regular for demonstrative stems:

Pronominal inflection: The pronominal stem is {av}, and with the anaphoric prefix {ta(ð)}* it is {taav}. Note that some of the prefixed forms become homonymous with the corresponding forms of {uv}D in the new orthography, due to assimilation by [a] from the prefix. The inflectional stems are {avcum} in singular, and {avkun} in plural.
Predicative: The exclamatory form is {avva} (new orthography: affa; old orthography: avfa). Adding the anaphoric prefix {ta(ð)}* here suppresses gemination of the consonant /v/, so the form is taava, old orthography tâva. Note again that some of the prefixed forms become homonymous with the corresponding forms of {uv}D in the new orthography. Hence, they are likely seldom used.
Adverbial inflection: The adverbial stem is {av}. The locative, allative, ablative and vialis are formed regularly with {ani}, {uŋa}, {aŋŋa}, {uuna}.

Kleinschmidt [SK71] adds that the prefixed, pronominal forms may lengthen the /a/, and then inject /j/, e.g. taajanna, taajakku etc., which would allow these forms to be distinguished from the corresponding forms of {uv}D. However, it is unclear to what extent this is used nowadays.

Meanings and examples

anna, he/it in the north [SK71]

This is the pronominal, absolutive singular form.
avannga; taavannga, from the north [SK71]

Adverbial ablative form.
avani; taavani, in the north [SK71]

Adverbial locative form.
avuuna; taavuuna, through the north (area) [SK71]

Adverbial vialis form.
avunga, northwards; to the north [SK71]

Adverbial allative form.
affa, there in the north (is he)! [CWSL58]

Predicative/exclamatory form.

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.
[CWSL51] C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen (1951): Det Vestgrønlandske Sprog.
[JP67] Jonathan Petersen (1967): Ordbogêraĸ.
[CBBJRPIKJR97] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.