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[moonflower77]

 

interclass word formation - nouns

-uq: permanent quality (property) or personality trait (V stem)

ch'iruq thief [ch'ir ~ ch'ɛr to steal]
iɬuq disobedient individual, one who does not listen to their elders [ilɸ ~ ɛlɸ to listen]

-rɛ (+ -ŋ): permanent quality (property) or personality trait (V stem)

ɬapxachɛrɛŋ villain, scoundrel, mean individual [ɬapxachɛ to behave in a base, vile, detestable manner]
tqinsrɛŋ someone whose spine is crooked, hunchback [tqins ~ tqɛns to become distorted, crooked]
ch'ixilɛrɛŋ traitor, sb. who would betray their friends for gain [ch'ixilɛ ~ ch'ɛxɛlɛ to betray]

-ɣirɣi ~ -ɣarɣa (+ -n): used to form abstract nouns, which are very rare in itelmen (A stem)

pēlɣirɣin size [pel large]
iwlɣirɣin length [iwl ~ ɛwl long]
kotɣirɣin breadth, width [kot broad, wide]
amɣarɣan depth [am deep]

-la (+ -n): profession, occupation, permanent quality (property) or personality trait (V stem)

nisilan hunter [nis ~ nɛs to hunt]
ɬmɛkɛlan lucky or successful hunter, reliable provider [ɬm to kill (game), to bring home as a hunting trophy]
atkawkɛlan sb. who is lame [atkawkɛ to limp]
achwankalan sb. who is clumsy or unsuccessful, one who does everything wrong [achwank to do sth. poorly, without skill]
Xaqɛlan enemy, adversary [Xaqɛ to hate, to be angry]

four exceptions with N stems (the suffix is used as an intraclass one):

nanqalan glutton [nanq stomach, belly]
pilwɛlan a bear that has failed to go into hibernation for the winter [pilw ~ pɛlw starvation, hunger]
rɛwlan falcon [rɛw ptarmigan, lit. ptarmigan-eater, one who hunts ptarmigan]
paXɛlilan svizza duck [paXɛl cap, lit. capped one, one who looks like a person with a cap on]

with the names of various geographical locations, the suffix may be used to form words that mean "an inhabitant of ...": samzatlan an inhabitant of Samzat (rus. Tigil), ŋapnolan an inhabitant of Napnom (rus. Napana), kɬxɛtɛlan an inhabitant of Kɬxit (rus. Palana)

-nɛ ~ -nō (+ -ŋ): an instrument or tool used to perform a particular action (V stem)

tɛjmɛnɛŋ oar [tɛjmɛ to row]
malɛnɛŋ broom, bird's wing used to sweep the floor [malɛ to sweep]
sch'anɛŋ the eye of a needle [sch'a to thread a needle]
osxpɬɛnɛŋ a stick used to drive the dogs and anchor the sledge once it has stopped [osxpɬɛ to anchor a sledge]
ēmzatinɛŋ a tool used to drive fish into a net or trap [ēmzatɛ to drive fish into a net or trap]
majanōŋ toy [ma? to play]

sometimes the suffix may not have an instrumental meaning:

ɛzamsnōŋ a patch on clothes [ɛzams to put patches on clothes]
atɬɛmkanōŋ a patch on footwear [atɬɛmka to put patches on footwear]
sxolwanoŋ a knot on a thread made from reindeer sinew [sxolwa to twist, to gather into knots]
ɛmɛnɛŋ a step on a staircase or ladder [ɛmɛ unknown]
sɛrwanoŋ a bag used to store stewing supplies [sɛrwa unknown]

-nu ~ -no (+ m): a place where a particular action is performed (V stem, very rarely N stem or A stem)

axtnom a place for gutting fish [axt to gut fish]
qtanom a place where berries are abundant [qta to pick berries]
rosxnom spawning-site [rosx to spawn, to lay eggs]
ch'ɛnom entrance [ch'ɛ to enter, to come in]
onmɛnom site chosen for stopping and breaking camp [onmɛ to stop, to make a break]
t'lɛnom talus, scree [t'lɛ to crumble, to erode, to slide down - of sand, stones etc.]

ɬawūlnom nesting-site, a place where sea birds lay and incubate their eggs [ɬawūl to sit down]

ktɣɛnom bruise [ktɣɛ black]
lamɬnom a summer dwelling in the forest [lamɬ summer]

occasionally used to form abstract nouns (V stem):

soņɬnom life [suņɬ ~ soņɬ to live]
ɛzanom death [ɛza to die]
nonum food, sustenance, nourishment; grazing-ground [nu ~ no to feed, to eat, to sustain oneself]
tXālnom food [tXāl to eat sth.]
ɣilnom drink, beverage [ɣil ~ ɣɛl to drink]
tēlɸɬnom fright [tēlɸɬ to be frightened]
ēŋksxnom sickness, disease [ēŋksx to be sick]
skāznom smell, scent, odor [skās to smell]
kɛlinom letter, written language [kɛli ~ kɛlɛ to write]

-u, -ɬu: permanent quality (property) or personality trait (V stem or N stem)

imɬu avid tea drinker [imɬ ~ ɛmL to drink tea]
kɬxchiku sb. who is mean, miserly, stingy, greedy [kɬxchi to behave in a mean/miserly/stingy/greedy manner]
ch'ŋɛɬɬu crybaby [ch'ŋɛɬ to cry, to weep]
achwankɬu sb. who is clumsy or unsuccessful, one who does everything wrong [achwank to do sth. poorly, without skill]
piɬfu glutton [pilw ~ pɛlw hunger, starvation]

-s: used to form abstract nouns (V stem)

soņɬɛs life [suņɬ ~ soņɬ to live]
ɬmas kill, hunting trophy  [ɬm to kill (game), to bring home as a hunting trophy]

intraclass word formation of nouns

-joɬxɛ (+ -n): a container or vessel used for a particular purpose or to store a particular substance or object (~ implies volume and three-dimensionality)

ijoɬxɛn a (small) bucket, vessel for holding water [i? water]
sisjoɬxɛn needle-holder [sis needle]
piŋjoɬxɛn the cup of a traditional oil lamp [piŋ oil lamp]
tawakjoɬxɛn snuffbox, box for storing chewing tobacco [tawak tobacco]
piŋpiŋjoɬxɛn cinderbox [piŋpiŋ ashes, cinders]

can occasionally be used with V-class stems, for interclass word formation: for example, kukɛjoɬxɛn cooking-pot [kukɛ to cook, to boil]. such examples are extremely rare. ambiguous cases are much more common, for instance, asasjoɬxɛn spittoon [-< as?as cough or as to cough] or kansajoɬxɛn cigarette case [kansa pipe or kansa to smoke]

-t'il: the meat and/or skin of a particular animal (part of a whole)

mɛt'sk'ɛt'il bear meat [mɛt'sk'ɛ bear]
i?naqɛt'il ermine/stoat skin or fur [i?naq ermine, stoat]
ɬximt'il sable skin or fur [ɬxim sable]
qsast'il goose meat [qsas goose]
qst'il venison [qōs reindeer]
miņɬt'il hare meat, hare skin or fur [miņɬ hare]
juŋjut'il whale meat [juŋjuŋ whale]

exception: chinipt'il rag, cloth, shred of fabric [chinip fabric]

-sk'ɛl: pejorative, disparaging meaning (~ subjective, emotional evaluation)

qoɸsk'ɛl ugly, low-quality, worthless parka that is unfit for wearing [qoɸ parka]
quwask'ɛl old, torn, shabby pants [quwa pants]
qelk'sk'ɛl scrap of skin with some remaining fat or blubber; piece of fat left in the lamp after the rest has been burned out [qelk' raw fat, blubber]

-otɬ: pejorative, disparaging meaning (~ subjective, emotional evaluation)

qsXotɬ wretched, worthless dog [qōsX dog]
ɛpɬxotɬ unreliable friend [ipɬx friend]
mɛmsxotɬ worthless, wicked woman [mimsx woman]
sɸnotɬ torn, shabby, unusable boot [sɸno boot]

one stem can take either -sk'ɛl or -otɬ, but not both at the same time.

-sxch'ɛ: extreme pejorative and disparaging meaning, possibly also diminutive (~ subjective, emotional evaluation)

qoɸsxch'ɛ totally worthless, useless parka [qoɸ parka]
qōsXɛsxch'ɛ totally wretched, worthless, useless dog [qōsX dog]
kɛstasxch'ɛ old, decrepit house, shack, hovel [kist house]
qōzɛsxch'ɛ totally wretched, worthless, useless reindeer [qōs reindeer]
ch'amzaņɬsxch'ɛ vile, detestable, disgusting individual (drunkard, sb. who is very dirty and untidy, etc.)
txlosxch'ɛ mean, wicked, detestable old woman, old hag, old witch [txlo old woman]

can combine with the same stems as either -sk'ɛl or -otɬ. frequently used along with the suffix -aj. 

-k'ɛ: diminutive meaning (~ subjective, emotional evaluation)

as a rule, found together with -chX. there is a single known exception where this suffix stands alone: 

ɸitsk'ɛ cub of an akiba ring seal [ɸit akiba ring seal]

-mto (+ -ŋ): diminutive and affectionate meaning (~ subjective, emotional evaluation)

only three examples known:

ɸaɬɛmtoŋ small knife [ɸaɬ knife]
ch'ozaqamtoŋ small black ant [ch'ozaq ant]
kaɬimtoŋ small kernel of a nut

common diminutives and augmentatives

-chX, -chaX (sg.), -ch (pl.): literal diminutive meaning (refers to a small physical size), very rarely with overtones of affection, or, still more rarely, with a pejorative attitude.

-chX, -chaX may combine with a zero singulative ending, the singulative endings -lŋin, -miŋ, -m, -n, -ŋ, -ch or the collective plural marker -al. -ch may combine with the plural endings -? and -?n.

-chaX is used if the stem ends in a consonant (more rare):

ansxchaX, ansxa?ņch little piece, slice
kistchaX, kistɛ?ņch little house
kāɬɸchaX, kaɬɸa?ņch little lake
jajɛmchaX, jajɛ?ņch little cloud
kāmloņchaX, kāmlo?ņch (dear) little grandson
klamɬchaX, klāmɬɛ?ņch little fly
luɸsxchaX, luɸsxɛ?ņch (dear) little nephew
sɛsɛŋchaX, sɛsɛ?ņch little wing
sxliŋchaX, sxli?ņch little sleigh runner
pamjalŋinchaX, pamja?ņch little fur sock, stocking
lɛŋamiŋchaX, lɛŋa?ņch little ski
kukɛchX, from kukɛchchaX, kukɛ?ņch little cauldron, cooking-pot

-chX is used if the stem ends in a vowel (more common):

asɛrachX, asɛra?ņch little burrow
quwachX, quwa?ņch small or short pants, shorts, briefs
ļaŋɛchX, ļaŋɛ?ņch little girl
ŋɛjŋɛchX, ŋɛjŋɛ?ņch small, miniature mountain, hill
rɛwnɛchX, rɛwnɛ?ņch little ptarmigan

also possible if the stem gains a final vowel (usually optional):

i?naqchaX ~ i?naqɛchX [i?naq stoat, ermine]
mɛmchaX ~ mɛmɛchX [mɛm storage shed, shack]
sik'uk'chaX ~ sik'uk'ɛchX [sik'uk spider]
pXaļļachX [pXal hole]
kiɣɣɛchX [kiɣ river]

the last word is the only one not to have a corresponding regular form. 

-chX + -al is extremely rare, as the collective plural presupposes a large or considerable size. there are three known examples:

stowalachX a small grove of dwarf cedars [stowal]
ɸuzwalachX a small cluster of shrubs [wuzwal]
sisalachX a small patch of grass [sisal]

there is a group of words where the suffix -chX has fused with the stem and the original form of the word can no longer be traced. all of them refer to creatures or objects of a small size, so that the small dimensions could be conceived as an inseparable property of the entity in question:

ɛkɛchX, ɛkɛ?ņch girl, maiden, young woman
ļuļuchX, ļuļu?ņch woman's nipple
uņņachX, uņņa?ņch any small bird
mawachX, mawa?ņch fish young
txlochX, txlo?ņch old woman
piļļuchX boy's penis
atkaļachX martin, swallow
krɛsɛchX, chiririchX some species of waders

there are some other words that do have a traceable original form, but the fusion is still quite obvious and the word is hardly ever used without the suffix -chX:

XɛmɛchX [Xɛm puppy]
ŋɛzzɛchX, from ŋɛzzɛmchaX [ŋɛzzɛm star]
lachchaX [lach sun]

exception: ikumchX, ikumchXɛ?n "gnat". the word is no longer divisible, though it is obvious that it used to have the suffix -chX before.

the suffix is extraordinarily widespread, with hundreds of examples. it could be the most productive affix in itelmen. practically any proper (personal) name can take it. this prevalence could be due to a desire to diminish the intimidatingly huge objects that surround the itelmen in their daily lives, and thus render them more "tame" and less threatening. indeed, the word juŋjuchX "whale" is only used in its diminutive form; the original form, juŋjuŋ, was recovered artificially. for words such as qisXchaX "sky", nustaxchaX "a god, God" or boɣachX "a god, God" (russian borrowing) the original form is altogether irrecoverable.

-aj: augmentative meaning with obvious and permanent pejorative overtones. 

used only in the singular or the collective plural, never in the plural proper.

kistaj large house [kist]
kzumxaj large bumblebee [kzumx]
kurbuskaj large hunchbank salmon [kurbuskɛ]
qɛ?maj large pit [qɛ?m]
miņɬaj large hare [miņɬ]
u?aj large tree [u?]
k'ɛɬchumaj large mosquito [k'ɛɬchum]
rɛwlanaj large falcon [rɛwlan]
sɛsɛŋaj large wing [sɛsɛŋ]
chqatɬɛlŋinaj large boat [chqatɬɛlŋin]
sasqmiŋaj large alyk (part of the harness for sleigh dogs) [sasqmiŋ]

can combine with virtually any of the singulative endings. when combined with -ch, the latter is dropped and replaced by a glottal stop or -ɣ:

slɛɣaj large eagle [slɛch]
mitklaɣaj large fish that has died a natural death [mitklach]
p'ɛ?aj son, offspring (may be contemptuous, disapproving) [p'ɛch]

however, -ch is retained if it is part of the stem, rather than a singulative ending:

k'zixchaj the scruff of one's neck (contemptuous) [k'zixch]
ɬiwumchaj large poplar tree [ɬiwumch]
suschaj large lizard [susch]
ēņchaj large fish [ēņch]

when combined with the collective plural marker -al, the suffix -aj gives the word an additional contemptuous coloring without further emphasizing the large size. in fact, the actual augmentative meaning may be altogether absent. this shade of meaning could be translated as e.g. "oh, just some ...", "oh, just another ...", "..., who cares?", "..., so what?", "a ... i do not specifically care for" etc.

stowalaj some (sort of) dwarf cedar thicket 
ɸūzwalaj some (sort of) shrubbery
sisalaj some (sort of) grassy patch 
chɬɸalaj some (sort of) cowberry or lingonberry thicket (which may or may not be large)
kskēzzalaj some (sort of) thick alder grove
nirɣalaj some (sort of) sorrel thicket
qazwalaj some (sort of) nettle thicket
mɛsxsalaj some (sort of) buckrams thicket

some words are more preferable to use with the suffix -aj than without it:

qsXaj dog [qōsX]
ɬokraj gadfly [ɬokra]
mɛt'sk'aj bear [mɛt'sk'ɛ]
t'salaj fox [t'sal]
miņɬaj hare [miņɬ]

the word ŋojaj "caudal fin (of a fish)", which was obviously derived from ŋosx "tail", is now used only with the suffix -aj.

has emphatically contemptuous, pejorative connotations when used with personal names, such as Pan't'uškaj, Kriškaj, Iwanaj etc. in folklore, used exclusively with the names of mythological villains or other negative characters (Kutxaj, Si?rimaj, Sisiɬxanaj, etc.), never the heroes.

in one case, the suffix -aj is used with a metaphorical meaning and with untypical affectionate overtones: kɛjukaj, from kɛjuk "a mossy growth on the bark of a birch tree, chaga mushroom". this is an affectionate term of address used by elderly couples when speaking to each other.

the word wɛwɛchX, wɛwaj, wɛwɛchXaj "moth, butterfly" is only known in the diminutive or the augmentative form, or both at once; there appears to be no traceable original form.