Greenlandic language

Spoken in

• Eskimo aleutian Eskimo Inuktitut Greenlandic

Kl

Kal

Kal

• Greenlandic

Greenlandic (also: Kalaallisut, Greenlandic Eskimo, or Greenlandic Inuktitut ) is an Eskimo- Aleut language and is spoken by about 50,000 people in Greenland. There are also around 13,000 living in Denmark ( Greenland Statistical Office for 2004/ 05). Greenlandic is the official language in Greenland. The language code is small and cold ( ISO 639).

• 2.3.1 The cases
• 2.3.2 Ownership

• 2.4.1 Indicative and interrogative form
• 2.4.2 Imperative

• 2.5.1 Verbs of verbs
• 2.5.2 verbs of nouns

• 2.6.1 Simultaneity, "and"
• 2.6.2 prematurity, "as"; " if "
• 2.6.3 posteriority, " when"
• 2.6.4 participle

Classification

Greenlandic Eskimo- Aleut is one of the languages ​​spoken in Greenland. It is closely related to the languages ​​of the Inuit in Canada, such as Inuktitut and how these very regular, very rich in form and highly polysynthetic.

The Greenlandic can be divided into three main dialects divide: North, East Greenlandic ( Tunumiutut ) and West Greenlandic ( Kitaamiutut ). West Greenlandic, the dialect with the largest group of speakers, is sometimes referred to as Kalaallisut in the true sense. Inuktun or Avenarsuarmiutut, the northern dialect, is spoken in the region of Qaanaaq ( Thule) and is most closely related to the Canadian Inuktitut. The word Kalaallisut is an equative and literally means as a Greenlander.

To give a comparison: the name of Inuktitut is reproduced in Greenland as Inuttut. One of the most famous words of Inuktitut iglu ( "house" ) is, in Greenlandic illu (where ll represents a lateral fricative [ ɬ ] ).

The German language has the words anorak ( grönl. annoraaq ) and kayak ( grönl. qajaq ) borrowed from Greenland.

Grammar

Greenlandic has a limited effect on a ergativische structure. Compound words ( compositions of independent words) are extremely rare in contrast to derivations.

Phonology

Vowels

The Greenlandic knows only the three vowels / a /, / i / and / u /. The only diphthong is / ai /, which occurs only at the end of the word. e and o there is, but only as variants ( allophones ) of i and u before the pharyngeal sounds r and q, for example:

Consonants

The following table lists each is first the sign of the International Phonetic Alphabet and then in brackets the notation.

Q is a deep back of the throat, the uvula articulated k g is a fricative like the g in the North German " car" or in modern Greek "gamma". r is a throat -R as in High German. ll represents an unvoiced l ng g without speaking. At the end of the word t sounds like Cz

If meet in Greenland two consonants, they will be matched to one another. This is in contrast to the Canadian Inuktitut. The Inuktitut word igloo ( house ) therefore appears in Greenland as illu, and Inuktitut itself is called into Greenlandic translated Inuttut (both from inuk, "man" ). An exception are r and q as the first consonant: r stops, and q to r. Many suffixes of the last consonant falls out, but not before all.

The pronunciation of double consonants can vary from simple. So a gg as [ ç ː ] (as in ch I ) spoken and rr as [ χ ː ] ( as ch in ach ). That 'll be voiceless. A double v is written and spoken about ff and written, and a double t ts.

In the dialect of the Polar Inuit of North Greenland some consonant clusters are possible. In East Greenland the ll has become tt. The East Greenlandic town Ittoqqortoormiit would mean in the West Greenland standard language Illoqqortoormiut.

Overview of the grammatical forms

Content words can be divided in Greenland (with some restrictions ) in the Wortartklassen nouns and verbs. Each of these categories is divided into intransitive and transitive words. It consists of: four persons ( 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd reflexive ), two numbers (singular, plural, a dual ( two- speed ) as in Inuktitut, there is not ), eight modes ( indicative, participial, imperative, optative, subjunctive of the past, the future subjunctive, subjunctive habituativer ), ten case ( absolutive, ergative, equative, instrumental case, locative, allative, ablative, Prosekutiv and for certain nouns: nominative and accusative ). On verb both subject and object in the form of person and number is highlighted. Transitive nouns carry Possessivaffixe.

Nouns

The cases

Greenlandish is Ergativsprache in which the extension of the subject is dependent on whether there is an object or not. In Greenland, the subject is only available in the absolutive ( in Ergativsprachen says you can not " nominative ") if there is no specific object:

Does it follow a specific object ( the / which / that) is this object in the absolutive, the subject in the ergative and the verb gets another extension ( see " verb" ):

In an undetermined object ( a / a / a ), however, there is no ergative, but gets the object, the instrumental ending - mik ( with ):

The Greenland case endings at a glance:

Ownership

The German words mine, yours, etc., appears in Greenland as a suffix (such as in Turkish ). Noteworthy is the fourth person to be / called their own thing, while the third person referred the matter of another. The following table shows the possessive endings in the absolutive for illu, "home":

The owner stands in the ergative / genitive. At the possessed the possessive ending must be added ( also as in Turkish ):

The use of the fourth person explains the following comparison:

Verbs

The Greenlandic verb consists of ordinary derivative syllables ( tense and aspect ) Konjugationsendungen.

Greenlandic verbs have a huge variety of shapes. They can be both conjugated expanded through deduction. Verbs conjugate according to mode, and active or passive person. Time, if required, expressed by dissipation. Dissipation changes the meaning of verbs like German adverbs such as very, almost, never, etc. Greenlandic suffixes for deriving there are several hundred. Among other things, they express ideas such as " have ", " be ", " say " or "think" from, to "may" and " need " and a whole bunch of times.

There are three conjugations: Verbs ending in consonant, vowel verbs and verbs on R.

Indicative and interrogative form

The following table shows the intransitive conjugation ( without the specific object ) of the verb neri - "eat" in the indicative and the interrogative form. Decision questions are marked by their own suffixes in Greenland. When asked about the last syllable is lowered, not raised.

If the subject is a particular object (eg the bear ), the verb takes the suffix- vaa certain place - Voq. This transitive suffix- vaa is actually the word for him, her, it. Because pronouns as objects (like me, you, him ) are in Greenland endings. The following table shows the conjugation of certain asa- " love" in the indicative:

Negation is expressed derivative syllable - nngila - by:

Command form

There are many imperatives ( command forms ), since for objects like me, you, him own endings are used, etc., and for the denial. There are two sets of command forms: one for adults and one for children, which acts directed at adults coarse. Simple command forms are, for example:

Does the verb an object, it needs a transitive suffix, for example:

Commands are happy with derivative syllables like - laar, "a little", weakened: qaa - laar -it! " come over! "

Derivation

Verbs from verbs

Verb derivation is very productive, there are hundreds of suffixes to modify the meaning of verbs. Also, several occur together, so that the words are very long. Some examples of how derivative syllables change the meaning of verbs:

Also want, need and like German modal verbs are expressed through derivation in Greenland:

Of course, derivative syllables can also be combined: angerlar - niar - Aluar - punga "I wanted to go home anyway".

Verbs from nouns

Other derivative syllables derive verbs from nouns. These go far beyond what is possible and Indo-European languages ​​have close, be and be with, but also eat or build:

Syntax

The Greenland has no subordinate clauses such as the German, but expresses ideas such that, when, etc. because as Turkish. By particular verbs, participles and gerunds so by

As for the ownership the third person is that the person someone else is in the " subordinate clause " as in " law ", and the 4th reflexive person that the person is the same:

Simultaneity, "and"

This verb form with the syllable - llu - forming subordinate clauses with the meaning that someone makes two actions simultaneously. This can be usually translated as and, sometimes with as:

Is negated with -na- Ani - PPUT taku -na- ta " They went, without having seen us."

Prematurity, "as"; " if "

This verb expresses that something else happens before something and conditions. In German is available here as or when and if. She has different endings depending on the conjugation: vowel -ga-, consonant - kka -, R -ra- as well as in the 3rd person -m ( m) a-. There are also their own personal endings.

Posteriority, " when"

This verb expresses that something happens after something else. The entries are sorted by conjugation vowel -gu, consonant - kku -, R -ru- and in the 3rd person -p ( p) a-.

Participle

With the ending- toq forming the past participle: atuar - toq " les -end". Depending on the conjugation has - toq the variants vowel soq, consonant - ttoq, tsoq, ssoq and R toq.

The participle is versatile and works well as a description of the offender ( noun agentis ), as a substitute for a relative and for dass atuartoq therefore means depending on the context

For example:

- toq is actually the ending of the participle -tu- 3rd person singular -q. Otherwise enter transitive or intransitive personal endings of the -tu-. The intransitive are:

Participles rather than adjectives

True adjectives do not exist in Greenland. Properties are expressed by means of verbs: miki- Voq " is small ", qasu - Voq " tired ", aappalup - poq " is red". Logically, they are conjugated as intransitive verbs: qasu - vunga " I 'm tired," aput aappalu - nngila -q "Snow is not red " (co- nngila, " not " ), Tuper -put miki- va? " Our tent is small? " ( with question ending).

For adjectives as it is appended to a main word is formed from these verbs past participle on - toq: meeraq kusunar - toq " the beautiful child ", qimmeq miki- soq " small dog ". The property is also problematic.

Curiously, there is no word for " good ". This is with " is not bad " words ( aju - nngila -q, of ajor - poq " is bad" ).

Some properties can be described as two nouns angut uttoqqaq " old man ", literally man or old man ukkusisa - with sanaaq " product made ​​of soapstone ."

Font

In contrast to Canadian Eskimo languages ​​Greenlandic is not written with the Inuktitut syllabary, but with the Latin alphabet. Since the spelling reform of 1973 to write the voiceless uvular plosive [q ] with the letter q. Before this, a separate letter Kra " ĸ " was used. Since the spelling reform spelling is phonetic, with double letters are spoken twice as long. Exception is the ll, which stands for an unvoiced l ( ɬ ). A double ng is written nng. t is spoken by i like ch.

Text example

Inuit tamarmik inunngorput nammineersinnaassuseqarlutik assigiimmillu ataqqinassuseqarlutillu pisinnaatitaaffeqarlutik. Silaqassusermik tarnillu nalunngissusianik pilersugaapput, imminnullu iliorfigeqatigiittariaqaraluarput qatanngutigiittut peqatigiinnerup anersaavani.

German: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1)