-suaq

Greenlandic

Pronunciation

• (Nuuk) IPA^(key): /-suaq/, [-sʊ.ʷɑq]

Suffix

-suaq (n-n^?, additive^?, recessive r^?)

1. big, bad

   itisooq (“deep”) -> itisoorsuaq (“very deep”)

   silarsuarmiut - humanity.

   ila suersuaq! - what an awful draught!

   pi -> persuaq (“large object”)

   uli (“high tide”) -> ulersuaq (“flood”)

   ajortoq (“evil, wicked”) -> Ajortorsuaq (“Satan, the Devil”)

Usage notes

-aq is elided before affixes and inflectional endings that begin with a vowel.

Derived terms

Greenlandic terms suffixed with -suaq

References

• -suaq in Katersat
• Bjørnum, S.: Grønlandsk Grammatik, p. 265. Atuagkat 2003.
• Vestgrønlands Grammatik, p. 157, F.A.J. Nielsen, 2014