14 Timi

In English, when we want to give a reason for something, we add a clause to a sentence that usually begins with the word “because”:

We are leaving because we are tired.

In Inuktut the clause that is underlined above is usually represented in one word. This word has a special ending that lets us know who we are talking about: 

anijjaanngittunga niaqunngugama

I am not going out because I have a headache.

 

Here is a list of these endings:

niaqunngugama	because I have a headache
niaqunngugavit	because you (1) have a headache
niaqunngugami /niaqunngummat *	because he / she has a headache
niaqunngugannuk	because we (2) have headaches
niaqunngugatta	because we (3+) have headaches
niaqunngugatsik	because you (2) have headaches
niaqunngugatsi	because you (3+) have headaches
niaqunngugami /niaqunngummatik*	because they (2) have headaches
niaqunngugami /niaqunngummata*	because they (3+) have headaches

* Notice in the third person (he/she/it/they) that there are two options:

The endings -gami and -gamik can only be used when we are talking about the same person in a sentence:

Piita aullalaunngittuq qanimagami.

Peter didn’t travel because he (Peter) is sick.

If thre is a change in who you are speaking about in the sentence, the endings -mmat, -mmatik and -mmata must be used:

Piita aullalaunngittuq qiturnganga qanimammat.

Peter didn’t travel because his child is sick.

The first m in these endings changes to r after a verb root ending in q-: 

Qailaunngittuq qiturnganga haakilaurmat.

Peter didn’t come because his child was playing hockey.

 

All of the above endings can also be used to express the idea in English of 'when something happened...' :

Tikiqqaummata niriqqaujugut.	When they arrived, we ate.
Aullalaugatta sinilaujut.	When we depated, they were sleeping.

 

 

Adding these affixes to stems ending in -k :

• Working with the endings above, the first letter of the endings that begin in g- changes to k-
• The endings above that begin with m- do not change.  They delete the final -k of the stem:

nuvak-	to have a cold
nuvakkama	because I have a cold
nuvakkannuk	because we (2) have colds
nuvakkatta	because we (3+) have colds
nuvakkavit	because you (1) have a cold
nuvakkatsik	because you (2) have colds
nuvakkatsi	because you (3+) have colds
nuvammat	because he / she has a cold
nuvammatik	because they (2) have colds
nuvammata	because they (3+) have colds

 

Adding these affixes to stems ending in -t :

• The last letter of the root and the first letter of the affix both change to n-.
• The endings that begin in m- are unchanged. They delete the final -t of the root :

tikit-	to arrive
tikinnama	because I arrived
tikinnannuk	because we (2) arrived
tikinnatta	because we (3+) arrived
tikinnavik	because you (1) arrived
tikinnatsik	because you (2) arrived
tikinnatsi	because you (3+) arrived
tikimmat	because he / she arrived
tikimmatik	because they (2) arrived
tikimmata	because they (3+) arrived

 

Adding these affixes to roots ending in -q :

The last consonant of the stem is deleted and the affix begins with r:

nuvak + lauq-	to have had a cold
nuvalaurama	because I had a cold
nuvalaurannuk	because we (2) had colds
nuvalauratta	because we (3+) had colds
nuvalauravit	because you (1) had a cold
nuvalauratsik	because you (2) had colds
nuvalauratsi	because you (3+) had colds
nuvalaurmat	because he/she had a cold
nuvalaurmatik	because they (2) had colds
nuvalaurmata	because they (3+) had colds