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these words has originated. The phiral suffix -it is added to 

 the consonantal singular form so that the final consonant of 

 the singular [k or q] enters into the plural form : -kit or -qit. 

 I consider this to be a later feature in the language, although at 

 present most Greenlandic nouns form their plural according to 

 this principle. The more original principle is no doubt that 

 which we find kept up in such simple plural formations as for 

 instance sing, nuna (landi, plur. nunat\ sing, inuk (man), plur. 

 inuit. Беге t or it is added to the vocalic stem. Hut the 

 plural forms of later construction are characterized by 

 Iheir retention of the final consonant. Ex. 



Sing. 

 qipik feather bed 

 tipik small 

 qatik a bird's breast 

 iwik erass 



Plural (Greenlandic) 



qi^k'it < *qipkit <; *qijnkit 



ti^k'tt <C *tipkit <C *tipikit 



qahit <! *qatkit < *qatikit 



if'it <С *iwqit? <C *iU'ikit 



Here belongs also with a voiced consonant in the plural: 

 imiik beard um'it <C *iim^it < *umikit 



Likewise in the following examples, where it is uncertain, 

 however, whether the long /- and ^-sounds [/•, k-] represent 

 original groups with q [Iq etc.) or if these words originally are 

 ^'-stems (not g^-stems) and the long consonants are derived 

 from Ik (through /g or ly)^ gÄ:, ivk: 



Sing. Plur. Sing. 



taVeq arm tUiÀ-4t isiriak (N Gr.) \ ^ 



ukaVeq hare uk^aÀ'Ht isi^ak (S Gr.) j '^ 



na-lariaq (NGr.) ] S 



n-ala^aq (SGr.) 



inuwaq a toe 



tuluwaq a raven 



qilaluivaq a white-whale qilalu^k-at 



etc. etc. 



uiUoq mussel, shell uHX'ut 

 a/'og* sole of the foot 'aÀ'ut 

 asaloq the little as'aÅ'iit 



stool to lay the 



implements on 



in a kayak 



Plur. 



isik'ut 



2 mrlahat 



inu^'k'at 

 tulu'hat 



