An agglutinative or polysynthetic language is one that builds meaning by combining morphemes, so that one word might include as many different meanings as might be found in an English language sentence. Morphemes are added to stems, just as in Standard English (for instance, we typically express simple past tense by adding the "ed" morpheme to a verb stem), but Iñupiaq postbases serve more functions. Every word typically has a stem and an ending; the ending may be preceded by a postbase and/or followed by an enclitic.
From the Abridged Iñupiaq and English Dictionary
by Edna ahgeak MacLean (1980)
A Joint Publication of the Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska,
Fairbanks, Alaska
and the Iñupiat Language Commission, North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska
An Iniupiaq noun or verb stem may be either simple or complex. A complex stem contains one or more postbases, and a simple stem contains no postbases.
Here are some examples:
|
simple stem |
complex stem |
|
aqpat- ["to run"] |
Aqpanniaq [I will run" |
|
ilisaq- ["to study"] |
ilisallatu ["to like to study"] |
|
Ilisallatuniaq ["Will like to study"] |
In either case, an ending may be added directly to a stem.
Aqpattuq. Aqpanniaqtuq.
"He is running." "He will run."
Ilisaqpifi? Ilisallatuvift?
"Did you study?" Do you like to study?"
Ilisallatuniaqtutin.
You will enjoy studying."
3.2 An Iniupiaq postbase serves somewhat the same functions that adverbs, adjectives, prefixes and suffixes do in English.
Here are some examples:
Ikka umiaq. "There is the boat."
Ikka umiaqpak. "There is the big boat."
Iluaqtuq. "It is proper.
Ilua-r)itchuq. "It is not proper."
This is in contrast to a handful of bases to which a number of special postbases are added before they can become stems. These bases will be presented in another chapter along with the special postbases.
46