Grammar

» Noun Ending Tables

When endings are added to a noun stem, the last letter of the stem changes in certain cases.

vowel ending nouns

Examples: iglu, niqi, pualu, ulu, ivalu, nuna, pana, atigi, sila, siku, iji

SAMPLE PATTERN	Singular	Dual	Plural
basic form	iglu	igluuk	iglut
possessor	igluup	igluuk	iglut
as object	iglumik	igluungnik	iglunik
in	iglumi	igluungni	igluni
from	iglumit	igluungnit	iglunit
to	iglumut	igluungnut	iglunut
through	iglukkut	igluukkut	iglutigut
like	iglutut	igluuktitut	iglutitut

q ending nouns

Examples: qimmiq, tupiq, qulliq, uqalimaagaq, igalaaq, qarasaujaq, nasaq, nunaraq, tariuq, tasiq.

Watch for the following patterns:

• Some endings delete final q
• Some endings change final q to r
• Some endings change the final k of the dual endings to ng
• Dual nouns lengthen the last vowel sound before adding an ending.

SAMPLE PATTERN	Singular	Dual	Plural
basic form	tupiq	tupiik	tupit
of the…	tupiup	tupiik	tupiit
as object	tupirmik	tupiingnik	tupirnik
in	tupirmi	tupiingni	tupirni
from	tupirmit	tupiingnit	tupirnit
to	tupirmut	tupiingnut	tupirnut
through	tupikkut	tupiikkut	tupiqtigut
like	tupiqtut	tupiiktitut	tupiqtitut

k ending nouns

Examples: kamik, kamaaluk, kakivak, kuuk, kikiak, ukkusik, ivik, auk, puvak, tinguk, mannik, attak.

Watch for the following patterns:

• Some endings delete final k
• Some endings change final k to ng
• Dual nouns lengthen the last vowel sound before adding an ending.

SAMPLE PATTERN	Singular	Dual	Plural
basic form	kamik	kamiik	kamit
of the…	kamiup	kamiik	kamiit
as object	kamingmik	kamiingnik	kamingnik
in	kamingmi	kamiingni	kamingni
from	kamingmit	kamiingnit	kamingnit
to	kamingmut	kamiingnut	kamingnut
through	kamikkut	kamiikkut	kamitigut
like	kamiktut	kamiiktitut	kamiktitut

t ending nouns

Examples: angut, aput, aqqut, aluut, titiraut, imiut, qaluraut , qukiut, siut, kigut, nunasiut.

Inuktut speakers often add an i to noun stems that end in t before grammatical endings:

Tunilauqtanga asianut angutimut
He gave it to another man.

Nunasiutimit niujuq.
He/she got out of the car.

Amautimik niuviaksalik
She sells an amaut.

In this case they are treated as vowel–ending noun stems (see table above).

Otherwise, in a more traditional form of the language, the t can transform to an m to match an m affix (–mik, –mut, –mit, –mi).

Tunilauqtanga asianut angummut.

Nunasiummit niujuq.

Amaummik niuviaksalik.

A similar pattern happens with the word Nunavut:

Nunavummi
in Nunavut

Nunavummit
from Nunavut

Nunavummut
to Nunavut