Grammar » describing people & things
Inuktitut has different ways to describe people or things. The first is through words like these:
| takijuq |
(someone/something) tall |
| uqumaittuq |
(someone/something) heavy |
| akitujuq |
(something) expensive |
| akikittuq |
(something) inexpensive |
| piujuq | (someone/something) good
|
In some ways these words behave like verbs. Depending on the context they could be translated like this:
takijuq
| She is tall. |
| angijuq | He is big. |
akitujuq
| It is expensive. |
| akikittuq | It is cheap. |
| piujuq | It is good. |
In Inuktitut, these descriptive words must reflect the number and grammar of the word that they describe. You’ll notice that many descriptive words end with the –juq ending in the singular. This ending changes if you are describing an object that is in the dual or the plural:
Qarasaujaq akitujuq.
|
The computer is expensive.
|
| Qarasaujaak akitujuuk. |
The two computers are expensive.
|
Qarasaujait akitujut.
|
The computers are expensive. |
Some of the above words could be used to describe you or me, but then we would need to add the verb -u- plus the appropriate subject ending:
takijuq + u + jutit =
| takijuujutit | You are tall. |
takijuq + u + junga =
| takijuujunga | I am tall. |
When these words describe a person or thing ending in -mik, they also have to take -mik:
| qamutaujaq uqumaittuq |
The snowmobile is heavy.
|
qamutaujarmik uqumaittumik
|
a heavy snowmobile
|
Note that when using -mik with descriptive words (including colours), the final consonant of the descriptive word is normally deleted, rather than switched to r or another consonant.
umiaq + mik = umiarmik
|
a boat |
aupaqtuq + mik = aupaqtumik
|
red
|
umiarmik aupaqtumik
|
a red boat |
Also, keep in mind that Inuktitut speakers use many affixes that are attached directly to the nouns that they describe:
| illu + qpak = | illuqpak | the big house |
| nunasiutiqpak | the big car |
| | | |
| illu + ralaaq = | illuralaaq | the small house; the cabin |
| nunasiutiralaaq | the small car |
| | |
|
angut(i) + kutaaq =
| angutikutaaq | the tall man |
| angut(i) + kallak = | angutikallak | the short man |
| | | |
sila + ttiavak =
| silattiavak | good weather |
| inuk + ttiavak = | inuttiavak | a good person |
| | | |
| inuttiavak + u + jutit = | inuttiavaujutit | You are a good person. |