Details

General

Morphemic form: {quləiluaq}N
New orthography: qulaaluat
Old orthography: ĸulailuat
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97], [CWSL51]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: {qulə(k)}N + N{-it}V + V{-luaq}V
Variants: {quləŋiluaq}N
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Default/none
Stem type(s): Weak q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The meaning of this stem is 'nine', and, if used with plural possessive endings, the ordinal 'ninth'.

The Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10] reconstructs it as {quləŋŋuʀutəŋit-}, but it is not clear that all all the affixes are present in the Kalaallisut descendent. However, it seems clear that the base is {qulə(k)}N, 'ten', and the second morpheme seems to be N{-it}V. See also the variant form {quləŋiluaq}N, which seems to have been derived in the same way, but either with the older form of N{-it}V, i.e. {ŋit-}, or instead with nasalation of the stem-final /k/, that sometimes is present.

The final morpheme is not explained in the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], but I hypothesise that it is V{-luaq}V, 'almost, a little', but somehow used nominally. This would give the present stem a literal meaning like 'almost ten', which seems reasonable.

According to Kleinschmidt, the present stem is 'provincial', and the proper way to express 'nine' is instead arfineq sisamat. However, nowadays, qulingiluat or qulaaluat seems to be the preferred way to express 'nine'. Of these, {quləŋiluaq}N seems to be the most common.


Inflection

Declension pattern:

Stem type: Weak q-stem
Declension type: p-declined
Declension sandhi: Default/none

Notes on declension:

The stem behaves like a weak q-stem with p-inflection. However, given its meaning it is only used in plural, and with plural possessive endings to express the ordinal 'ninth', i.e. qulaaluaat. As this is entirely regular, we do not give a declension pattern here.


Meanings and examples

Given its maning, the stem is only used in plural.


Search the corpus for further examples.


Tags

References