Details

General

Morphemic form: {imaq}N
New orthography: imaq, immat
Old orthography: imaĸ, ímat
Sources: [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL51], [Uwn], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Geminating
Stem type(s): Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This stem has two meanings:

Schultz-Lorentzen [CWSL58] records two separate forms, ima for 'content', but imaĸ for 'sea'. However, this appears to be the only dictionary that makes this distinction. Neither the older dictionary by Kleinschmidt [SK71], nor the newest ones, including Oqaatsit [CBBJRPIKJR97], records two different forms, nor is this distinction supported by the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], which lists both meanings under the same, single historic form, {ima(ʀ)}.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: Weak q-stem
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Geminating
Gemination type: m⇒mm

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography imma ima imaq, immap, immat,
New orthography íma ima imaq, ímap, ímat,
Phonemic orthography imma ima imaq, immap, immat,


Meanings and examples

Both with and without a possessive ending. According to Kleinschmidt [SK71] often in 3sg/sg possessive allative imaanut.

  • imaanut, to(wards) the sea [SK71]

    With no explicit possessor given. Kleinschmidt suggests that this is implicitly understood as 'the contents of the sea basin'.

  • imarput, the sea surrounding us/our land [SK71]

    Literally: 'our sea', with 1pl/sg absolutive possessive.

Almost always with a possessive ending. It can be used of the contents of a container, but also e.g. the contents of a book (which is likely a derived meaning from the first sense).


References