Details

General

Morphemic form: {niisuraq}N
New orthography: niisoraq, niisoqqat
Old orthography: nîsoraĸ, nîsorĸat
Sources: [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL51], [CWSL58]
Combinations: View list
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Geminating
Stem type(s): Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

According to Kleinschmidt [SK71], this stem denotes 'the cavity of the neck above the breast bone'. It is recorded in the older dictionaries [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL58], but not in Oqaatsit [CBBJRPIKJR97] or newer dictionaries, thus suggesting that the word maybe is not used nowadays.

Form and etymology:

According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], the historic reconstructed form of this stem is {nəɣituqaʀ-}, actually a verb stem meaning 'to have hiccough'. /ə/ has historically taken the sound [i] before the consonant /ɣ/, but this consonant appears to have dropped at a later time, thus leaving [ii]. To avoid complicating the morphemic form beyond necessity, we therefore here record the initial segment of this stem as /nii/, even though the first vowel historically is /ə/, because /nəi/ would yield [naa] by the sound rules.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: Weak q-stem
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Geminating
Gemination type: r⇒qq

Stem before consonant Stem before vowel Notable forms
New orthography niisoqqa niisora niisoraq, niisoqqap, niisoqqat,
Old orthography niisorĸa niisora niisoraĸ, niisorĸap, niisorĸat,
Phonemic orthography niisurra niisura niisuraq, niisurrap, niisurrat,


Meanings and examples

I.e. the cavity of the neck above the breast bone (jugular notch?).


References