Details

General

Morphemic form: {nalunaiqutaq}N
New orthography: nalunaaqutaq, nalunaaqqutaq, nalunaaqquttat, nalunaaquttat
Old orthography: nalunaeĸutaĸ, nalunaerĸutaĸ, nalunaerĸútat, nalunaeĸútat
Sources: [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL51], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: {nalu}V + V{naq}V + V{-iq}V + ? + V{-utaq}N
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Geminating
Stem type(s): Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to Kleinschmidt [SK71], the basic meaning of this stem is: "a sign/marker by which one can know something", and with a possessive ending, e.g. absolutive 3sg/sg N{-a}, nalunaa(q)qutaa, either "his sign/marker" (that he owns), or "a sign/mark by which he can be recognised". However, a more specific meaning here is a watch, i.e. a device by which one can know the time.

Later dictionaries [CR93], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97] also add more specific meanings:

However, nowadays, the most common meaning is still watch. The other meanings (including the general meaning 'sign') do not seem to be commonly used.

Form:

The older dictionaries by Kleinschmidt, Chr. Rasmussen and Schultz-Lorentzen [SK71], [CR93], [CWSL58] give the form nalunaerĸutaĸ, corresponding to nalunaaqqutaq in the new orthography. However, the newer dictionaries Ordbogeeraq and Oqaatsit [JP67], [CBBJRPIKJR97] instead give the form nalunaaqutaq with only a single /q/. This is the form used today, so we also give the morphemic form as /nalunaiqutaq/ with a single /q/.

The Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10] give the reconstructed historical form as {naɬunaʀilkutaʀ}. They do reference the historic forms of {nalu}V + V{naq}V + V{-iq}V, but with no clear indication of how the listed form is derived from this combination, nor of how the modern-day form is derived from this historic form. However, given both the meaning and the form, it seems that the final morpheme is V{-utaq}N, or maybe a variant thereof, cf. N{-qutaq}N. This still leaves open the question of the origin of the /q/ (or 'rĸ' in the old orthography) before this last morpheme.


Inflection sandhi:

Inflection sandhi is inherited from the right-most component, V{-utaq}N. See this for details.


Meanings and examples

This is the most common meaning today.

By which one may know something; for example a direction, but it could also be a mark by which something/someone can be recognised.

Aiming device on a rifle.


References