Details
General
| Morphemic form: | {uv}N |
| New orthography: | una, uuma, ukua, taanna, uffa, taava, uani, uunga, uannga, ugguuna |
| Old orthography: | una, ûma, ukua, tauna, uvfa, tauva, uvane, ûnga, uvánga, uvgûna |
| Sources: | [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [CWSL51], [CBBJRPIKJR97], [CB96, stk1], [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 'restricted area' and 'near speaker'. It takes somewhat different meanings depending on whether it is used as a demonstrative adverbial, an exclamation, or a demonstrative pronoun:
- Exclamation: uffa / ugga denotes 'here (it is)!' according to Kleinschmidt [SK71], but later dictionaries [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97] give it a rather different meaning: 'even though', 'although', 'despite that...' etc. With the anaphoric affix added, taava, the meaning becomes 'then'.
- Adverbial: The general meaning is 'here' (of an area near/around the speaker), so with the prepositional cases, the meaning is 'here' (LOC), 'hither' (ALL), 'hence' (ABL), 'through/via here' (VIA). In contrast to {mat}DEM, {uv}N denotes a more restricted location, e.g. a single point, rather than a wider area. Imagine something that can be pointed to with a single finger, rather than a wide-ranging hand gesture.
- Pronoun: The general meaning is 'this (here)', denoting again a single point. Thus, in contrast to {mat}DEM, {uv}N is usually used to refer to persons, and una is also used as the third person personal pronoun (which Kalaallisut otherwise lacks). This is also the origin of the enclitic *{una}.
Inflection
Declension pattern:
| Stem type: | demonstrative root |
| Declension type: | Demonstrative inflection |
| Declension sandhi: | Irregular |
| Stem before consonant | Stem before vowel | Notable forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New orthography | u | u | una/taanna, uuma/taassuma, ukua/taakkua, uffa/ugga/taava, uani, uunga, uannga, ugguuna |
| Old orthography | u(v) | u(v) | una/táuna, ûma/táussuma, ukua/táukua, uvfa/uvga/tauva, uvane, ûnga, uvánga, uvgûna |
| Phonemic orthography | u(v) | u(v) | una/tauvna, uuma/tauvcuma, ukua/tauvkua, uvva/uvga/tauva, uvani, uunga, uvaŋŋa, uvguuna |
Notes on declension:
The inflection is irregular, because the stem-final /v/ is present in the adverbial inflection, but absent in the pronominal inflection. However, it resurfaces when the anaphoric prefix {ta-'} is added. In the predicative/exclamatory form, the stem-final consonant, which is geminated, may either be /v/ or /g/, and this /g/ also appears in the vialis inflection of the adverbial inflection.
Pronominal inflection: The pronominal stem is {u}, and with the anaphoric prefix {ta-'} it is {tauv}, where the prefix causes the /v/ to reappear.
Predicative: The exclamatory form is {uvva} (new orthography: uffa; old orthography: uvfa); or alternatively {uvga} (new orthography: ugga; old orthography: uvga) with a /g/ appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Adding the anaphoric prefix {ta-} here suppresses gemination of the consonant /v/, so the form is taava, old orthography tauva.
Adverbial inflection: The adverbial stem is {uv}. The locative, allative and ablative are formed regularly with {ani}, {uŋa}, {aŋŋa}. However, the /v/ is not present before the allative case ending, i.e. the form is {uuŋa}; and the vialis ending {uuna} causes an extra /g/ to appear, as in the predicative form, i.e. the form is {uvguuna}. The anaphoric prefix does not appear to be used with the adverbials.
Meanings and examples
I.e. 'first something happened, and then'. This is the meaning of the anaphoric, exclamatory form taava.
- ajorata apuukkutta taava, when we are come well to the destination, then ...
[SK71]
- taava takussaarpara, then (suddenly) I no longer saw him
[SK71]
I.e., he disappeared.
- taavaaku nunguttut?, how is it that they have now all been used up?
[SK71]
With the plural form of *{una} denoting 'they are...'.
- taava oqarfigaara, then I said to him: ...
[CWSL58]
This is the meaning of the cataphoric, exclamatory form, uffa / ugga according to Kleinschmidt [SK71]. The meaning is verbal, and can act as a main clause.
- uffa tigusassat, there is the thing thou shall take
[CWSL58]
Literally: 'there is thy to-be-taken thing'.
This is the meaning of the cataphoric, exclamatory form, uffa / ugga.
- uffa tigugaluariga, although I actually took it, (then ...)
[CWSL58]
Note that uffa here acts as a main clause, so the following verb is in the participial mood. Hence, uffa could also be translated as 'although it is such that'.
- uffa oqarfigigaluarinni naalakkumanngilaanga, even though I said it to him, he would not obey me
[CWSL58]
Used as the third person personal pronoun, but also demonstratively, referring to a single thing or person.
- taanna Elsemik ateqarpoq, her name is Else
[CB96, stk1]
Literally: 'that (aforementioned) one's name is Else'.
When used as an adverbial. Here it denotes a definite point/location, that can be pointed to, e.g. with a single finger.
- uani, there
[SK71]
The locative case form.
- uannga, thence (from there)
[SK71]
The ablative case form.
- uunga, thither (to there)
[SK71]
The allative case form.
- ugguuna, through there; that way
[SK71]
The vialis case form.
Search the corpus for further examples.
Tags
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.
- [CBBJRPIKJR97] Christian Berthelsen, Birgitte Jakobsen, Robert Petersen, Inge Kleivan & Jørgen Rischel (1997): Oqaatsit.
- [CB96] Christian Berthelsen (1996): Kalaallisut Sungiusaatit.
- [JP67] Jonathan Petersen (1967): Ordbogêraĸ.