Dialogue: Birthdays
Vocabulary
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ilaget
family
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relative
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anânak
mother
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atâtak
father
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angutik
husband
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nuliak
wife
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panik
daughter
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innik
son
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anik
brother of a female
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nukak
sister of a male
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angajuk
older sibling (same sex)
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nukak
younger sibling (of the same sex)
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atâtatsiak
grandfather
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anânatsiak
grandmother
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atsâsuk
aunt (father’s sister)
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ajak
aunt (mother’s sister)
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angak
uncle (mother’s brother)
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akkak
uncle (father’s brother)
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sakik
parents-in-law
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ukuak
daughter-in-law; sister-in-law (brother’s wife)
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sakiak
sister-in-law (husband’s sister)
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ningauk
son-in-law; brother-in-law (of the same sex)
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ningauk
brother-in-law (sister’s husband)
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ukuak
sister-in-law (brother’s wife)
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sakitsuak
grandparents-in-law
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Grammar
35 » Going to someone’s house
In the dialogue for this lesson we see one way of talking about going to someone's house:
| Anânamma illunganut ailaukKunga. | I went to my mother's house. |
| Nukamma illunganut ailaukKunga. | I went to my younger sibling's house. |
Both of these words feature a double possessive ending -ma.
This ending indicates that the root it is attached to is related to me and also that a word will follow it that is related to that person:
| anânak | mother |
| anânaga | my mother |
| anânamma illunga | the house of my mother; my mother’s house |
Note that the word that follows -ma must take the ending -nga (his/her/its) to show that it is part of the possessive relationship.
The ending -ma could be followed by a person as well as an object:
| nukak | younger sibling of the same sex |
| anânamma nukanga | my mother’s younger sister |
Note also in the above examples that -ma changes the final -k of a noun root to -m, while -nga deletes the final -k.
36 » Birthdays
Some notes on birthdays.
| inolipvisiujuk | She has a birthday (that very day). |
| nalliutiniaqtuq maimi. | She has his/her birthday in May. |
Remember to add the affix -Katta- when talking about when one's birthday is because it is an event that happens regularly ever year:
| Kanga inolipvisiuKattaven? | When do you have your birthday? |
| Dezemberami inolipvisiuKattavunga. | My birthday is in December. |
Remember that when making a simple statement in the third person (he / she / it), –suuq can appear, on its own, at the end of the word.
| Sitipirimi nalliutisuuq. |
| His/her birthday is in September. |
Let’s say we want to ask someone how old they are:
| Katsit? | How many? |
| Katsi + Kak + lik + Ken? = | |
| KatsiKalikKen? | How old are you (literally, how many are you?) |
In answering, we do like in French and talk about how many years we “have”:
| 30-nik + jâri + Kak + lik + Kunga = | |
| 30-nik jâriKalikKunga | I am 30 (literally, I have 30 years.) |
Finally, if you are wondering how to send someone best wishes on their special day:
| Inolipsvisiutsiagit! | Happy Birthday! |