Let’s start with this sentence:
| Peter illop sanianettuk. | Peter is beside the house. |
This is a complex structure, but not a difficult one. Let’s break it down:
1. There is the subject of the sentence. In this case it is Piita. Nothing special happens to the subject. We can change the subject and have a very similar sentence:
| Kimmik illop sanianetuk. | The dog is beside the house. |
2. There is the object that the subject is positioned around. In our sentence, it is illu or house. If this object is singular, it takes the ending –up. Remember that –up deletes final consonants:
| Kajak + up = | |
| Peter Kajaup sanianettuk. | Piita is beside the kayak. |
If the last vowel sound in the root is a u, it merges with the u in -up to make a long vowel sound (o):
| iKaluk+ up = | iKalop sanianettuk. |
| He/she/it is beside the fish. |
3. There is the element that tells us where the subject is located:
| Peter illop sanianettuk. |
sania litterally means, 'it's side', in this case 'the side of the house'. By inserting different words here, we can change the location we are talking about:
| sania | the side of... |
| qulaa | the area above... |
| qaanga | the top of... |
| ataa | the underside of... |
| sivuraa | the front of... |
| ungataa | the far side of... |
| tunua | the back of... |
4. There is the affix -niit-:
| Peter illop sanianettuk. |
-ne(t)- is a close relative of the affix -me(t)- meaning to be at or in something:
| Peter nanejong? | Where is Peter? |
| illumettuq. | In the house. |
| illop sanianettuk. | He/she/it is in the house. |
| Peter illop sanianettuk. | Peter is beside the house. |
| Kimmek illop sanianettok. | The two dogs are beside the house. |
| Timmiat illop sanianettut. | The birds are beside the house. |
We could also say:
| Umiap sanianelikKunga. | I am beside the boat. |
| Nunasiutiup Kânganevutit. | You are on top of the car. |
| illop tunanelikKuguk. | We (2) are behind the house. |