Introduction to chapter II-4 X-tras

Today's targets

The exercises in today's X-chapter focus to a great extent on N+GƏ. They do so because this derivational morpheme is as frequent as it is and because it most likely is the single morpheme that causes more headache to more learners than any other derivational morpheme. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to get it under your skin or any way to avoid N+GƏ so we will again repeat its abstract semantics, namely 'subject has N as its object' or rephrased to 'the object is the subject's N'. So to express as various sentences as 'Karen is my wife (Karen nuliaq+GƏ{vara} = Karen nuliarivara)' and 'This is something I must read (atuar-TAQ-SSAQ+GƏ{vara} = Atuagassarivara)' and the thousands and thousands of other situations when we in the real world need to express that 'A is B's something' N+GƏ is mandatory.

Therefore you get many (admittedly a bit boring but needed) exercises with this specific morpheme.

ContNeg

You are most likely a bit puzzled about what is hid in the last unexplained verb in the sentence Per ulluni makkunani aallarsimavoq nammineq immiussiartorsinnaanani..

It is a negative contemporative (hence the abbreviation ContNeg). Directly translated immiussiartorsinnaanani means 'he_not_being_able_to_go_to_record' so you most likely expected something like immiussi_GIARTUR_SINNAA_NNGIT{lu}{ni}. It is as a matter of facts heard in childrens language but in standard language it is fixed that -NNGIT{Cont}{person} always is replaced by {+na}{person}

More about contemporative

Contemporative was not treated in full in II-4 so without a little extra info you would run into problems with exercises II-4-4X and II-4-5X evolving around N+GƏ in contexts with contemporative mood.

Remember the basic rules guiding contemporative

• Contemorative can only be used when contemporative and the main verb share the same subject. So Malik isumaqarpoq Nuummut aallassalluni (Malik thinks that he will go to Nuuk).
• Because of that the subject for a contemporative will never be 3. person but must be a co-referentiel person either 1. person (when the subject in the main verb is 'I' or 'we'), 2. person (when the subject in the main verb is 'you') or 4. person (when the subject in the main verb is 3Sg or 3Pl ('they'))
• Thus we always are informed by the main verb who is the subject for the contemporative. Because of that the subject is simply implicit. Accordingly for instance suleqatigissallugu means 6 different things according to context: (I think that I will work with her/him), Isumaqarpunga suleqatigissallugu; (You think that you will work with her/him), Isumaqarputit suleqatigissallugu; (Aviaaja thinks that she will work with her/him), Aviaaja isumaqarpoq suleqatigissallugu; (We think that we will work together with her/him), Isumaqarpugut suleqatigissallugu; (You think that you will work together with her/him), Isumaqarpusi suleqatigissallugu; (They think that they will work with her/him), Isumaqarput suleqatigissallugu
• The modal morphemes for contemporative are {+()lu} for Cont and {+na} for ContNeg. Donot forget that ()lu means that an extra -l- is added to stems in vowels and remember the very special rule according to which {()lu} takes the variety {lu} after ǝ and that ǝ in this context turns -a-. Accordingly it is suli-QATƏ+GƏ{lu}{gu} suleqatigalugu (coworking with 3SgO), but suli-QATƏ+GƏ-SSA{()lu}{gu} suleqatigissallugu (coworking with 3SgO in the future). In the negated contemporative no special rules exist. So suli-QATƏ+GƏ{na}{gu} will be suleqatiginagu (not coworking with 3SgO), and suli-QATƏ+GƏ-SSA{na}{gu} suleqatigissanagu (not coworking with 3SgO in the future).

Hereunder you get both paradigms for the intransitive contemporative and both for the transitive transitive contemporative.

Intransitive contemporative

() means that there always must be a consonant before -lu-. All stems in vowels therefore add an extra -l-. For instance

angerlar+{lunga} = angerlarlunga (I going home)

sinip+{lunga} = sinillunga (I sleeping), but

qasu+{llunga} = qasullunga (I being tired)

Intransitive contemporative negated

{natit} (2Sg) sometimes take an alternativ form {nak}. It is widespread whenever negated contemporative function as imperative

Stems in -r- sometimes lose /n/ especially in the 4. person and in 1Pl. For example will one hear ajoratik tikipput (they arrived not being bad (= They arrived in good shape)) more often than ajornatik tikipput.

Transitive contemporative

() means that there always must be a consonant before -lu-. All stems in vowels therefore add an extra -l-. For instance

allap+{lugu} = allallugu (writing it)

tusar+{lunga} = tusarlunga (hearing it), but

taku+{llutit} = takullutit (seeing you)

Finally the speciality about {(l)lu} turning {lu} whenever immediately preceded by ǝ. Also remember the speciality that in positive contemporative that ǝ turns a in this position. Accordingly we have ila+GƏ{lu}{ŋa} ilagalunga (SUBJ joining me)

Negated transitive contemporative

NB: The special rule above according to which ǝ turns a before {lu} does not exist in the negated contemporative. Accordingly ila+GƏ{na}{ŋa} will be ilaginanga (SUBJ not joining me)

Today's puzzle

You have reached a point in your acquisition process where the primer no longer is your primary "teacher". From now on actual language "in the street" outside the L2 classroom must gradually form a growing part of your input. But make sure to use the real world properly! This means among many other things that you whenever you meet a sentence or a word you need to understand in the real world and get under your skin you will not try to learn the word/ sentence by heart as most non-professionals will suggest you to do. That is namely a futile undertaking since you are working with a polysinthetic language where you must expect "your" word to have changed its shape next time you come across it. You will meet part of the word/ sentence but it will most likely come with other personal endings, negations, subordinate mood morphemes etc.

You will instead consume reality in small bites at the time so that you make sure to have understood the construction in depth. Do like this:

1. UNDERSTAND the sentence including ALL morphemes and inflections. Use Katersat at oqaasileriffik.gl as your dictionary and reach out for your study pals and/or your local language guru if you are lucky enough to have such a person around.
2. Then REPEAT the sentences loud and clearly. If you cannot pronounce them after a few attempts to do so, you have not understood everything in proper depth and you will need to return to this part once you have invested sufficient time and energy in 3. hereunder.
3. EXPAND CONTEXT as best you can. Here is one example: Hereunder you meet a verbal stem sivisu{} meaning 'to be long-lasting' then check whether you can add known morphemes – preferably together with your study pals. Try for instance to add NNGIT to form stems like sivisunngilaq (not to be long-lasting) or SINNAA to form sivisusinnaapput (they can be long-lasting) or you can try to produce complex combinations like NNGIT plus NIQ plus SSAQ plus known inflection like sivisunnginnissaa (its future not being long-lasting). https://oqaasileriffik.gl/en/langtech/live/ to doublecheck that the words you build are correct words.

Here is an authentic mail picked randomly from my daily mail-communication:

Hej, SANA-liarlunga 9.15 piffissaateqarlunga anilaalerpunga. Sivisunissaa naatsorsuutiginngilara. Ingerlaannaq utissaanga. 1

Hi. I am about to get out a little on my way to SANA where I have an appointment 9.15. I do not expect it to be long-lasting. I'll be back right of way.

• N-LIAR to move to N (equivalent with Trm-KAR (-mukar-) which you met i lesson II-4)
• piffissaq- time (as abstract concept)
• piffissaat- piffissaq-UTE literally meaning 'the time one has acquired'. The word is a socalled neologism that only recently made it to dictionaries etc. In use meaning 'appointment' etc.
• sivisu{} at være langvarig
• N-SSAQ future N
• naatsorsuutigǝ{} to expect OBJ
• ingerlaannaq right of way
• uter{} to return