Details

General

Morphemic form: {mat}N
New orthography: manna, matuma, makkua, tamanna, massa, maani, maanga, maannga, maana
Old orthography: mána, matuma, mákua, tamána, mássa, maane, maunga, mãnga, mauna
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97], [CWSL51], [CB96, stk. 1], [JP67]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Irregular
Stem type(s): demonstrative root

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], this demonstrative root is classified as denoting 'extended area' and 'near speaker'. This basic meaning takes somewhat different forms today, depending on whether the root is used as a demonstrative adverbial, an exclamation, or as a demonstrative pronoun:

Note that the pronoun can also denote a time, rather than a space/area, e.g. aasaq manna, 'this summer'. In this sense, the pronoun denotes a time that is close to the speaker, and the basic meaning is rather like 'now', for example ukiut pingasut matuma siornga, 'three years ago', literally 'three years in the past of now'. Furthermore, some of the prepositional case forms may also have some specialised usages, for example the vialis singular form, matumuuna, which is used to express 'hereby'.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: demonstrative root
Declension type: Demonstrative inflection
Declension sandhi: Irregular

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography mat mat manna, matuma/massuma, makkua, massa, maani, maanga, maannga, maana
Old orthography má mat mána, matuma/mássuma, mákua, mássa, mâne, maunga, mãnga, mauna
Phonemic orthography mat mat matna, matuma/maccuma, matkua, macca, maani, mauŋa, maaŋŋa, mauna

Notes on declension:

The inflection is irregular, because the stem-final /t/ is present in the pronominal inflection, but absent in the adverbial inflection. In the predicative/exclamatory form, the stem-final consonant, which is geminated, is /c/, rather than /t/. The pronominal inflection also has alternative forms with /c/, rather than /t/.

The anaphoric prefix is added regularly and does not cause gemination of any stem-internal consonant.


Meanings and examples

When used as a demonstrative. Kleinschmidt [SK71] notes: mainly used of things, seldom used of persons.

  • Jensen aasaq manna Kalaallit Nunaannut aallassaaq, This (coming) summer, Jensen will travel to Greenland [CB96, stk. 1]

    In this case, the meaning is 'proximate time', rather than 'area close by'.

  • matumaniitilluta / matumaniinnitsinni, while we are (i.e. live) here (i.e. in this world) [SK71]

    Here with the verbalisation of the locative case, and then either the 'while' construction with V{tət}V (and 1pl subject), or the 'while' construction with V{nəq}N and the locative case (with 1pl possessive ending).

  • matumannga aappaagumullu, from now on and until next year [SK71]

    Here, the meaning is 'now', and the pronoun is in the ablative case. Kleinschmidt [SK71] notes that when the meaning is 'from now on', it is often used in conjunction with another noun in the allative case (indicating 'the time until when'). Here, this is aapagumut, 'to next year'.

  • matumannga isuanullu allaat, from now on and to eternity [SK71]

    The expression isuanut allaat is here translated here as 'to eternity' (following Kleinschmidt's [SK71] translation).

  • tamatumuuna takunngilara, this time I did not see him [SK71]

    Here, the meaning is 'this time', with the vialis case indicating time, i.e. 'during this time'.

  • matumuuna nassiuppara, I hereby send it

    This is something one would typically write in an email (e.g. when speaking of an attached file).

  • ukiut pingasut matuma siornga Kalaallit Nunaannut tikippunga, I came to Greenland three years ago

    The expresssion matuma siornga is a possessive phrase, with the demonstrative owning {sivunəq}N, so literally 'three years before now'.

When used exclamatorily

When used exclamatorily. This is a special meaning, that does not seem obviously related to the demonstrative meanings.

  • ninngaattaraanga massa annoraamik tunillarinni, he is still angry with me, although I have given him an anorak. [SK71]

    Schultz-Lorentzen [CWSL58] has kamaattaraanga instead, but otherwise with the same example.

  • massa nalunngilatit taamaassasut, yet you know that they are to be/shall be like that. [SK71]
  • massa takussaanngitsoq, although it cannot (shall not?) be seen [SK71]

Always implicitly: 'where the speaker is'. This is the meaning when the stem is used as an adverbial.

  • maani inuilaamiippugut, we are here in a desert(ed) place [CWSL58]

Search the corpus for further examples.


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References