Grammar » 44 » Comparing People and Things
To compare people or things in English, we use two affixes that we add directly to an adjective:
The good news is that in Inuktut, you do more or less the same thing:
tallest
| takijuq |
takiniqsaq |
takilaaq |
| tall |
taller |
tallest |
| |
|
|
| angijuq |
anginiqsaq |
angilaaq |
| big |
bigger |
biggest |
Note that the ending
–juq / -tuq is dropped from the basic form of the adjective before adding
-niqsaq or
-laaq.
When
–niqsaq is added to a stem ending in
-t, it changes the final
t to
n:
| naittuq |
nainniqsaq |
| short |
shorter |
When –laaq is added to a stem ending in a consonant, it deletes the final consonant:
| naittuq |
nailaaq |
| short |
the shortest |
In a full sentence, we normally would follow the words above with the verb
-u / -ngu (
to be) and the subject ending:
| angilaangujuq |
angilaangujunga |
| It is the biggest. |
I am the biggest. |
To make a comparison, we then tack on the affix
-mit to the person or thing to which a comparison is being made:
| Ilisapimit takiniqsaujunga. |
Amaruq qimmirmit anginiqsaq. |
| I am taller than Ilisapi |
The wolf is bigger than the dog. |
Note that in the last sentence above, when comparing an object in the third person, you have the option of dropping the -ujuq ending. The context makes the meaning of the sentence clear.
Keep in mind that when using personal pronouns to make comparisons, they don't follow a regular pattern:
| uvanga |
me |
| uvannit |
than me |
| Uvannit takiniqsaujutit. |
You are taller than me. |
| |
|
| ivvit |
you |
| ilinnit |
than you |
| Kinali ilinnit takiniqsauva? |
And who is taller than you? |
| |
|
| ilissik |
the two of you |
| ilissinnit |
than the two of you |
| Ilissinnit nainniqsaujuguk. |
We two are shorter than the two of you. |