Details

General

Morphemic form: {kalaallisut}
New orthography: kalaallisut
Old orthography: kalâtdlisut
Sources: [CBBJRPIKJR97], [CWSL58, under nunalippoq.]
Combinations: View list
Constituents: {kalaaliq}N + N{tut}

Description and behaviour

Form and usage:

This word denotes 'greenlandic'. It is constructed from {kalaaliq}N, 'Greenlander' and the equative singular ending N{tut}. The stem is geminating weak q-stem, and the ending is consonant-initial, so it causes the stem-final weak /q/ to drop and triggers gemination of /l/ to /ll/. The /t/ in the ending is then assibilated to /s/ by the t-to-s rule, because of the preceding /i/ in the stem Thus:

Thus, the literal meaning of this word is 'as a Greenlander' (implied: 'speaks').

It is often used as the name for the language, although the proper name is kalaallit oqaasii, but that construction is seldom used, unless a noun with a different case ending than equative is needed. Occasionally it may also be treated as a noun stem, even though it already carries an ending.


Meanings and examples

I.e. in the Greenlandic language.

  • kalaallisut oqaluttarpoq, he speaks Greenlandic; he can speak Greenlandic [CBBJRPIKJR97]

    From {uqaluk}V + V{ðaq}V. Note that 'Greenlandic' is an object in the translation, but 'kalaallisut' is not a proper object, since oqaluttarpoq does not take an object. It can perhaps best be viewed as an adverbial modifier of the verb.

  • nunaleqqaarama kalaallisut paasisaqanngilanga, when I first arrived in the land, I did not understand any Greenlandic [CWSL58, under nunalippoq.]

    Here too, kalaallisut appears as an adverbial modifier of paasisaqanngilanga, 'I did not understand anything', and not as an object.


Search the corpus for further examples.


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References