Details

General

Morphemic form: {sunauffa}
New orthography: sunaaffa
Old orthography: sunauvfa
Sources: [MFSJLK10], [SK71], [CWSL58], [JP67], [CBBJRPIKJR97]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: {su}N + D{na} + {uv}D + D{a}

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This particle is actually a contraction of two different words: the noun suna, 'what', i.e. the question stem {su}N with the special demonstrative ending used in the absolutive singular case; and uffa, 'here (it is)!', the exclamatory form of the demonstrative {uv}D. Thus, it may also be written suna-uffa, but the contracted form with assimilation of /u/ is the most common.

The particle expresses surprise, something like 'lo!', 'what!', 'wow!', 'I would not have thought that...'. It is rather untranslatable. Furthermore, it may also act as a main clause, in the sense of 'I/one would not have thought that...', and take an object clause in the participial mood (since there is no subject to be coreferent to).


Meanings and examples

It expresses surprise on behalf of the speaker.

Tags: Uncategorised

  • sunaaffa aallareersut?, oh, so they had already left? (I had not expected that) [SK71]

    Here, sunaaffa forms a main clause, so the second verb is in the participial mood.

  • sunaaffa immerneqanngitsoq, what, it has not been filled? (I thought it would have been) [SK71]

    Here, sunaaffa forms a main clause, so the second verb is in the participial mood.

  • sunaaffa ikerasaqarpoq, oh look! there is a strait [SK71]
  • qisuusoralugu sunaaffa qeqquaq, one had thought it was a piece of wood, but lo! it is seaweed [SK71]
  • sunaaffa Uummannaq tasanna pigit, uanga panna Uummannaq siunniukkaluarakku, oh, you (speak) about the Uummannaq out there in the west, because I was actually thinking of the Uummannaq inside the fjord [CWSL58]

    Here, sunaaffa forms a main clause, so the verb in the first sentence, pigit is in the participial mood {pi}V + V{PAR.2sg/3sg}, 'thou Vb it'.


Search the corpus for further examples.


Tags

References