Grammar » 42 » Describing People & Things

Inuktut 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	He/she is tall.
angijuq	He/she is big.
akitujuq	It is expensive.
akikittuq	It is cheap.
piujuq	It is good.

In Inuktut, 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 (3+) 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	qamutaujarmik uqumaittumik
The snowmobile is heavy.	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