7 Allavvik

THE VERB -TAQAQ-

-taqaq- is used to express the English there is / there are. This affix is tacked on to the end of nouns and must be followed by a subject ending:

kaapitaqaqqa?

Is there coffee?

 

When we want to say "there is...", Inuktut speakers avoid the construction ...taqaqtuq, and use the affix -talik instead:

kaapitaqaqqa?	ii, kaapitalik.
Is there coffee?	Yes, there is coffee.

 

Note that -talikis never used to make a negative sentence. Instead -taqaq- + -nngit + tuq is used.

kaapitaqaqqa?	aagga, kaapitaqanngittuq
Is there coffee?	No, there is no coffee.

-taqaq- deletes final consonants of any nouns it is added to:

paippaaq + taqaq + qa =	paippaataqaqqa?
	Is there any paper?
	ii, paippaatalik
	Yes, there is paper.
	aagga, paippaataqanngittuq.
	No, there is no paper.

 

If you want to talk about having something in your possession, you add the affix -qaq- directly to the end of a noun:

ulu + qaq + qit? =	uluqaqqit?
	Do you have an ulu?
ulu + qaq + tunga =	uluqaqtunga
	I have an ulu.

When -qaq- is added to a noun ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:

umik + qaq + qa =	umiqaqqa?
	Does he have a beard?

 

Watch out for singular nouns that end in t.  Many of them add an i before being put together with affixes:

titiraut	titiraut + i + qaq + tunga = titirautiqaqtunga
pen	I have a pen.

 

If you want to talk about not having something, remember that both -qaq- and -nngit- delete any consonant that appears immediately before them:

umik + qaq + nngit + tuq =	umiqanngittuq
	He doesn't have a beard.

When we want to say "he or she has something", Inuktitut speakers avoid the construction ...qaqtuq, and use the affix -lik instead:

nuliaqaqqa?	ii, nulialik.
Does he have a wife?	Yes, he has a wife.

 

Note that when –lik is added to a root ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:

nuliaq + lik = nulialik

 

Note, too, that -lik is not used to make a negative sentence:

aagga, nuliaqanngittuq.

No, he does not have a wife.

 

 

In English, when we want to talk about more than one of something, we usually add an s to the end of a noun:

one door

two doors

three doors

In Inuktut, we use different endings to distinguish between two of something and more than two of something:

matu	matuuk	matuit
one door	(two) doors	(3+) doors

The dual form is used to talk about two of a particular object. You can recognize the dual form as any noun that ends in a double vowel, followed by a k.

saak	uqaalautiik	illuuk
(two) tables	(two) telephones	(two) buildings

 

Here's how to change a noun from its singular form to the dual:

• if the object ends in a vowel, double the last vowel and add k:

nuvuja	nuvujaak
cloud	(two) clouds

 

• if the object ends in a t, add the ending iik:

uqaalaut	uqaalautiik
phone	(two) phones

 

• if it ends in any consonant other than t, delete the last consonant, double the last vowel, and add k:

kamik	kamiik
skin boot	(two) skin boots
qarasaujaq	qarasaujaak
computer	(two) computers

Remember that in Inuktut, you almost never put together more than two vowels in a row. So if you drop the final consonant and find you already have two vowels, just add k:

qarasaujaralaaq	qarasaujaralaak
laptop	(two) laptops

In Inuktut, the plural is used to talk about more than two of any noun:

inuk	inuit
person	people (3+)

The plural form always ends in t. Here are some instructions on changing a noun from its singular form to the plural:

if the noun ends in a vowel, add -it:

ilisaiji	ilisaijiit
teacher	teachers (3+)

If the noun ends in t, just add -iit:

uqaalaut	uqaalautiit
telephone	telephones (3+)

If the object ends in any other consonant, delete the last consonant, and add -it:

iqaluk	iqaluit
fish (1)	fish (3+)

If you delete the last consonant, and find that you already have two vowels, just add t:

uqaalautiralaaq	uqaalautiralaat
cell phone	cell phones (3+)