Details

General

Morphemic form: {kətə}N
New orthography: kitaa
Old orthography: kitâ
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Default/none, p-declined
Stem type: tə-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to Kleinschmidt [SK71], the meaning of this stem is originally 'that which is further towards the of it'. However, it is commonly used to denote the area towards the edge of the land, which in West Greenland corresponds to everything in a western direction. Presumably, it would then have been used in the opposite sense of 'East' in East Greenland and Labrador.

However, nowadays, {kətə}N is used for the true direction of West, regardless of the position of the speaker, i.e. similar to {avaknaq}N, {kujatə}N, and {kaŋi}N. Thus, the stem is used as a spatial noun with possessive endings to denote 'area west of Possessor'.


Inflection

Inflection pattern:

Stem type: tə-stem
Inflection sandhi: Default/none, p-declined
Sources: [JP67], [SK71]

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography kiti kita , , , kimmut
Old orthography kiti kita , , , kímut
Phonemic orthography kətə kətə , , , kətmut

Notes on inflection:

The stem is only used with possessive endings, except in the allative case where it also may be used with the non-possessive singular ending with elision of the stem-final /ə/. When used with possessive endings, the stem-final /ə/ alternates regularly, according to the ə-rule.


Meanings and examples

Tags: Spatial/positional noun, Space

  • kiterput sikueruppoq, there is no more (sea) ice west of us [SK71]
  • kissarsuutip kitaanut iliuk, put it on the west-side of the stove [SK71]
  • kitaa isortikkiartorpoq, (the weather) to the west is becoming more and more unclear/foggy/cloudy [SK71]
  • Kitaa, West Greenland [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    This is the official name of West Greenland. The implied possessor is the land itself.


Search the corpus for further examples.


Tags

References