Details

General

Morphemic form: {sivunəq}N
New orthography: siuneq, siornga, siorngaak
Old orthography: sujuneĸ, sujornga, sujorngâk
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [JP67], [CWSL58], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: {sivu}N + V{nəq}N
Right sandhi: Default/none
Inflection sandhi: Strong stem, Metathesis, up-declined, Cəq⇒qC or qŋ
Stem type: q-stem

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

The basic meaning of this stem is 'area before Possessor'. However, it can also denote 'front of Possessor', which in particular with human Possessors denotes the front of the face, especially the area around the mouth.

In addition to this spatial meaning, it also has a temporal meaning: 'time before Possessor', usually in the absolutive or vialis cases. Note the inverted direction here: We are used to think that we walk forwards into the future, but the image here is the opposite (quite as in the English word 'before'). The past lies before the speaker, so you can envision the speaker walking backwards into the future whilst looking ahead into the past. However, adding the affix N{kcaq}N changes this direction, cf. {sivunəkcaq}N, 'future'.

See also the base {kiŋunəq}N for the converse meaning, i.e. 'behind-area' and 'after'.

Etymology and form
According to the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10], this stem is formed from a combination of {sivu}N + V{nəq}N, even though the latter affix normally only attaches to verbal stems. However, we still record this as a combination, since the present stem in all regards behaves like any other stem derived with V{nəq}N.


Right sandhi:

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


Inflection

Inflection pattern:

Stem type: q-stem
Inflection sandhi: Strong stem, Metathesis, up-declined, Cəq⇒qC or qŋ
Sources: [JP67]

Notes on inflection:

The stem inflects as a strong q-stem with metathesis, similar to the last component V{nəq}N. See that for inflection details.

There is one inflected form, that is rarely used with other stems, but commonly used with this stem: siorngaak (old orthography: sujorngâk). This is the absolutive possessive third person dual form, which also triggers metathesis.


Meanings and examples

With a human Possessor especially the area around the mouth.

Tags: Space, Spatial/positional noun

  • siunerput sikoqanngila?, is there no ice ahead of us? [SK71]

    Literally: does our before-area not have ice?

  • siuninniippoq, it is right before thee [SK71]

    Literally: it is in thy before-area.

  • siunikkut ingerlavoq, he went forth before me [SK71]

    Literally: he proceeded through my before-area. The ending is here possessive vialis 1sg/sg, although that has to be deduced from context, since this ending is indistinguishable from the unmarked singular vialis.

  • siornanut tuppoq, it fell right before him [SK71]

    Literally: it fell to his before-area.

Often in the absolutive or vialis cases to denote time.

Tags: Time, Spatial/positional noun

  • silarluup siornagut apuuppugut, we arrived before the storm/rain (began) [SK71]

    Literally: we arrived (in) the bad-weather's before-time.

  • siorna, last year; yesteryear [CWSL58]

    With implied ukiup, so literally 'the year's before-time'.

  • siornaak, the year before last year [CWSL58]

    Literally 'their (two's) before-time', with the implied Possessor being a pair of years.

  • siornagut, previously [CWSL58]

    This is possessive vialis 3sg/sg, with an implied ukiup as Possessor.

  • Kristusip inunngornerata siornagut, B.C. [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    Literally: in the before-time of the birth of Christ. This is a direct translation of the corresponding Danish expression: før Kristi fødsel.

  • ukiut qulit matuma siorna(ti)gut, ten years ago [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    Literally: ten years before this (time), with 'this (time)' expressed with the demonstrative pronoun matuma, cf. {mat}D. Note: Older speakers will prefer the (logically correct, singular) siornagut, but increasingly, the (logically wrong, plural) siornatigut is being used nowadays, even though the Possessor is singular.


Search the corpus for further examples.


Tags

References