In order to talk about where one works and what one does at work, there are some affixes and endings that are good to learn. Let’s start with -jik which is added to the end of a verb root to indicate someone who does the action described by the root. It shows up frequently in job titles:
| tusâk- | to hear a continuous sound |
| tusâjik | an interpreter (literally, someone who hears a continuous sound) |
| paitsik- | to care for someone |
| paitsijik | a nurse (literally someone who cares for someone else) |
You can add the affix -u- and the ending -vunga to the end of these words to describe what you do:
| tusâjiuvunga | I am an interpreter. |
| paitsijiuvunga | I am a nurse. |
The affix -ligi- is often added before -ji to talk about something one deals with or is involved with:
| kenaujak | money |
| kenaujaligijik | someone who works with money (a finance officer, accounting clerk or a bank teller) |
| kigutik | tooth |
| kigutiligijik | dentist |
THE ENDINGS -MI & -NI
-mi is an ending that comes at the end of a noun to express the idea of ‘in' or ‘at' in English.
| kenaujakkuvik | bank |
| kenaujakkuvimmi | at / in the bank |
| kenaujakkuvimmi suilaKavunga | I work at the bank. |
| ilinniavik | school |
| ilinniavimmi | at / in the school |
| ilinniavimmi suilaKavunga | I work at the school. |
Remember to follow the law of double consonants. If there is a double consonant before the final -k, then the affix -mi simply deletes the final -k sound:
| ânniasiupvik | hospital |
| ânniasiupvimi suilaKavunga | I work at the hospital. |
| mipvik | airport |
| mipvimi suilaKavunga | I work at the airport. |