-gi- (affix)

THE AFFIX -GI-

In an earlier lesson we looked at transitive endings:

takujara I see him.
takujagit I see you.
takujanga She sees him.


Because these endings indicate two people (a subject and an object) they are often used to describe the relationship between two people.

To do so, we use the verb -gi-, meaning to have. Unlike –qaq-, which also means to have, -gi- is always followed by a transitive ending:

panik daughter
Ilisapi panigiviuk? Is Ilisapi your daughter
(literally, do you have Ilisapi as a daughter?)
ii, panigijara* Yes, she is my daughter

* note that in conversation, a fluent speaker would be more likely to answer more simply by saying: ii, paniga

 

When -gi- is added to a stem, ending in q, it switches to -ri-:

nuliaq wife
Uluusi nuliariviuk? Is Uluusi your wife? (literally, Do you have Uluusi as your wife?).
Aagga, Miali nuliara.* No Mary is my wife.


*As with the first example, nuliarijara is gramatically correct, but less likely to be used in conversation.

angijuqqaaq head of an organization; boss
Inna angijuqqaarivauk? Is that his boss?
ii angijuqqaanga Yes, she's his boss.