Details

General

Morphemic form: {qanuq}
New orthography: qanoq
Old orthography: ĸanoĸ
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [JP67], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This is a question particle, meaning 'how', although it will sometimes be more natural to translate it as 'what' in English. It may be used both in ordinary questions (as an 'interrogative' particle), and a 'relative' particle; i.e. it is used to express 'what' in both of the following sentences:

It is also commonly used in a number of constructions with a collection of stems of affixes:

These need not always be questions; for example, a concept such as 'character' (in the sense of a person's characteristic way of being) is expressed as qanoq issusia, literally 'his manner of being-how'.

Etymology
The particle is not further analysed in the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary [MFSJLK10]. However, note the other interrogative particles {qaŋa}, 'when' (in the past), and {qaqugu}, 'when' (in the future), both of which also have this /qa/ as their initial syllable.

They suggest the /ŋa/ in {qaŋa} may be from the (historical form of) the causative mood marker {ga}, thus matching the 'past' meaning. Likewise, they suggest that the /qu/ in {qaqugu} is from /ku/ (because inter-syllabic PI /k/ became /q/ in Kalaallisut), corresponding to the historical form of the conditional mood marker {gu}, and thus matching the 'future' meaning. The final /gu/ is from the future marker N{-gu}N.

All this suggests that there may have been a historical 'interrogative' morpheme {*qa}, acting as the common base of the aforementioned two morphemes, and therefore perhaps also of {qanuq}. However, what the final part /nuq/ might be is unknown.


Meanings and examples

The meaning is 'how', but it may sometimes be more naturally translated as 'what' in English.

  • qanoq oqarpa?, how (i.e. what) did he say? [SK71]
  • qanoq ippa?, how is he? [SK71]

    I.e. 'how is he doing/feeling/etc.?' See also {ət}V.

  • qanoq atsigaa?, how big is it? [SK71]

    The verb is a contracted form of {aŋə}V + V{təgə}V + V{INT.3sg} and with ə-contracted ending.

  • qanoq oqartoq tusanngilara, I did not hear how (i.e. what) he said [SK71]
  • qanoq oqartillugu tusanngilara, I did not hear him say anything [SK71]

    Literally: 'I heard not while he said how'.

  • qanoq oqaraangami taamaalioraraaq, how (i.e. thus as) he says, thus he (habitually) does [SK71]

    For the habitual affix on the main verb see V{ðarə}V.

  • qanoq iliornivut tamaasa, all our actions [SK71]

    Literally: 'all our doing-hows'. The verb is {əli}V + V{-uq}V + V{nəq}N + N{-vut}.

  • qanoq igaajuk?, how do you find/consider it? how (what) do you think of it? [CWSL58]

    The verb is from {ət}V + V{-gə}V + V{INT.2sg/3sg}.

  • qanoq-issusia, his nature/character; its quality [CWSL58]

    From {ət}V + V{ccusiq}N + N{-a}, literally 'his quality of being how'.

  • qanoq sivisutigisumik taqqavaniippit?, how long have you been there in the south? [CWSL58]

    Note that 'how long' is here expressed with the combination of {qanuq} and the affix V{təgə}V.

  • Qanoq ittunik atorumavit?, Which ones would you like to borrow? [CB96, stk. 27]

    The modifier is {qanuq} {ət}V + V{ðuq}N + N{INS.pl}, so literally: 'those that are being how would you like to borrow?'.


Search the corpus for further examples.


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References