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A Grammar of Hokkaido Ainu

Knowledge base · Part VI — Word Classes and Nominal Morphology

38. Derivational Morphology on Nouns: Diminutive, Augmentative, and Size Modification

What morphological and syntactic devices does Hokkaido Ainu use to express diminutive, augmentative, and size modification on nouns?

北海道アイヌ語は名詞の指小形、拡大形、サイズ修飾を表すためにどのような形態的・統語的手段を用いるか？

Noun-internal derivation, principally the diminutive -po and augmentative/evaluative strategies, plus the pon/poro size-modifier boundary between morphology and syntax.

candidate topic from the first edition topic:nominal/nominal-derivation-diminutive-augmentative read this topic as text

33claims
48statements
9sources
4examples
8sections
51first-edition sentences

Local network

The chapter, its sections, the sources it cites, the chapters it cross-references, the forms it mentions most, and the claims grouped under it with the sources that assert, propose, doubt or reject each.

Related chapters

Forms mentioned

-po 15po 6okkay 5okkaypo 4pon 4ise 4poro 3isepo 3cikappo 2ceppo 2utar 2supuya 1cikap 1cep 1menoko 1supuyapo 1ku=sampepo 1hene 1pon cikappo utar 1-se 1pawse 1paw 1rimse 1okkayo 1okkayopo 1poho 1po:poho 1ku=akipo 1ku=kor operpo 1porore 1pon cikappo 1pon ceppo 1

Claims

A claim is one proposition; under it stand the statements of each source, with the stance that source takes. Claims are grouped by a model from the extracted statements and carry that status until reviewed.

  1. Certain nouns express the feminine by prefixing mat- (e.g., ainu 'man' vs matainu 'woman', karku 'nephew' vs matkarku 'niece', ak 'younger brother' vs matak 'younger sister', hekachi 'boy' vs matkachi 'girl').
    若干の名詞はmat-を冠して女性を表示する（例：ainu/matainu、karku/matkarku、ak/matak、hekachi/matkachi）。
    form-function exists mat-matainumatkarkumatakmatkachi
    asserts kindaichi1936
  2. In personal names and names of deities, -kur is used as a male marker and -mat as a female marker.
    人名や神名において、男性の標識として-kur、女性の標識として-matを用いる。
    form-function all -kur-mat
    asserts kindaichi1936
  3. The directional prefixes he- 'towards' and ho- 'away from' are treated as noun prefixes by the author.
    方向を表す接頭辞 he-「〜へ」および ho-「〜から離れて」は、著者によって名詞接頭辞として扱われる。
    analysis hokkaido/southwest/shizunai he-ho-
    asserts refsing1986
  4. The directional prefixes he- 'towards' and ho- 'away from' are analyzed as noun prefixes.
    方向接頭辞 he-「〜へ向かって」および ho-「〜から離れて」は名詞接頭辞として分析される。
    analysis ainu all he-ho-
    asserts refsing1986
  5. Noun prefixes are predominantly directional prefixes, forming pairs such as e-/o- and he-/ho- to denote direction towards and direction away from something.
    名詞接頭辞は主に方向接頭辞であり、e-/o- や he-/ho- のように対をなして対象へ向かう方向と離れる方向を表す。
    form-function hokkaido/southwest/shizunai generic e-o-he-ho-
    asserts refsing1986
  6. The prefix si- attaches to nouns and verbals with the meaning 'genuine' or 'original'.
    接頭辞 si- は名詞および動詞類に付加して「本物の」「元の」という意味を付与する。
    form-function hokkaido/southwest/shizunai generic si-
    asserts refsing1986
  7. The prefix si- may be used with nouns as well as with stative verbs.
    接頭辞 si- は状態動詞だけでなく名詞にも用いられる。
    distribution hokkaido/southwest/shizunai generic si-
    asserts refsing1986
  8. The prefix si- may also be prefixed to nouns.
    接頭辞 si- は名詞にも付加されうる。
    distribution hokkaido/southwest/shizunai generic si-
    asserts refsing1986
  9. The prefix ar- also conveys the meaning of 'one side of a pair' or 'one out of multiple items'.
    接頭辞 ar- には「片方」や「複数あるものの一つ」という意味もある。
    form-function generic ar-
    asserts sato2008
  10. Hokkaido Ainu húnpe 'whale' is an innovation consisting of the onomatopoeia hún and pe 'thing'.
    北海道アイヌ語のhúnpe「鯨」は、擬音語húnとpe「もの」からなる新語である。
    diachrony hokkaido all húnpepe
    asserts vovin2022

Sections

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The diminutive suffix -po and the absence of an augmentative 2 claims ·5 sentences

What derivational suffix marks diminutive meaning on nouns in Hokkaido Ainu, and is there a corresponding augmentative suffix?

  1. The diminutive suffix -po attaches to nouns to derive nouns meaning 'small X'.
    指小接尾辞 -po は名詞に付いて「小さい〜」を意味する名詞を派生する。
    form-function ainu -pocep-pocheppo
    asserts kindaichi1936, sato2008
  2. The suffix -po functions as an affectionate or familiar kinship term suffix, as in achipo 'father/dad', hapo 'mother/mom', yupo 'older brother', and kakapo 'older sister'.
    接尾辞 -po は親愛を表す愛称または親称として機能し、achipo「父さん」、hapo「母さん」、yupo「兄さん」、kakapo「姉さん」などを形成する。
    form-function ainu generic -poachipohapoyupokakapo
    asserts kindaichi1936

Morphology 17 claims ·6 sentences

How does the diminutive suffix attach morphologically to Hokkaido Ainu noun stems, and what form class does the derivative belong to?

  1. The prefix am- attaches to words denoting planar objects to add the nuance of 'broad' or 'spacious'.
    接頭辞 am- は平面状の物に付いて「ひろやかな」という気持ちを添える。
    form-function am-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  2. The prefix ar- can mean 'one' or 'half / one of a pair'.
    接頭辞 ar- には「一」あるいは「半」「片」の意味がある。
    form-function ar-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  3. The prefix ar- can mean 'opposite' or function as an intensive prefix meaning 'completely'.
    接頭辞 ar- には「反対側の」あるいは「全く」（強調）の意味がある。
    form-function ar-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  4. The prefix ear- is equivalent to ar- in the senses of 'one', 'half', and intensive 'completely'.
    接頭辞 ear- は ar- の「一」「半」「全く」の意味に対応する。
    form-function ear-ar-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  5. The prefix ir- expresses continuity, simultaneous unison, or being in a row ('ひとつゞき').
    接頭辞 ir- は「ひとつゞき」の意味を表す。
    form-function ir-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  6. The prefix kan- denotes 'upper part' or 'surface'.
    接頭辞 kan- は「上部・表面」を表す。
    form-function kan-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  7. The prefix no- serves as a eulogistic or honorific prefix.
    接頭辞 no- は「美称」として用いられる。
    form-function no-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  8. The prefix oar- is equivalent to ar- in the senses of 'half / one of a pair' and intensive 'completely'.
    接頭辞 oar- は ar- の「半」「片」および強調（intensive）の意味に対応する。
    form-function oar-ar-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  9. The prefix pi- expresses 'minute' or 'tiny/slight'.
    接頭辞 pi- は「微」「小」を表す。
    form-function pi-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  10. The prefix ru- denotes 'half' or 'incomplete'.
    接頭辞 ru- は「半」を表す。
    form-function ru-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  11. The prefix san- denotes projecting parts or things that stick out.
    接頭辞 san- は「出ているもの」を表す。
    form-function san-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  12. The prefix sem- functions as a privative prefix.
    接頭辞 sem- は否定的・欠如（privative）の意味を表す。
    form-function sem-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  13. The prefix sem- is used pejoratively or as an expletive to express emotion.
    接頭辞 sem- は悪罵（あるいは添辞・感情の強調）として用いられる。
    form-function ainu generic sem-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  14. The prefix shi- can mean 'real/true', 'great', or mark the reflexive aspect.
    接頭辞 shi- は「本当の」「真の」「大なる」を意味し、また再帰相を表す。
    form-function ainu generic shi-
    asserts kindaichi1936
  15. The suffix -ke can attach to words other than locative nouns, functioning to convert nouns of abstract meaning into expressions referring to concrete entities.
    接尾辞 -ke は位置名詞以外にもつき、抽象的な意味の名詞類を具体的な意味を指すものにする機能を持つ。
    form-function ainu generic -kehikearkesa-ke
    asserts nakagawa2024
  16. Noun suffixes consist of only three morphemes: two follow general nouns, while the third follows positionals, all serving to extend or modify the meaning of the host.
    名詞接尾辞はわずか3個の形態素からなり、2個は一般名詞に後続し、3個目は位置名詞に後続して、いずれも先行する形式の意味を拡張または修飾する働きをする。
    distribution hokkaido/southwest/shizunai all
    asserts refsing1986
  17. Under a narrow definition excluding verb formatives and postpositions, Shizunai Ainu has three noun suffixes: -ke, -po, and -utar.
    動詞形成形態素や後置詞を除外した狭義の定義では、静内アイヌ語の名詞接尾辞は -ke、-po、-utar の3つである。
    membership hokkaido/southwest/shizunai all -ke-po-utar
    asserts refsing1986

Semantic values: diminutive and affective 7 sentences

What semantic values does the Hokkaido Ainu diminutive suffix express?

Corpus examples 5 sentences· 3 examples

In what syntactic contexts does the Hokkaido Ainu diminutive suffix appear, and can it co-occur with other modifiers?

hinak wa arki wen cikap-po utar
where from come.PL bad bird-DIM ASS
‘the bad little birds that came from somewhere’
ilcaa1976 SAR Kawakami Matsuko 川上まつ子, uwepeker 民話15, ILCAA Ainu materials [aa-irc/022#23]
pon cep-po utar pirasa wa
be.small fish-DIM ASS spread.out CONJ
‘spreading out the small fish’
ilcaa1976 SAR Kawakami Matsuko 川上まつ子, uwepeker 民話14, ILCAA Ainu materials [aa-irc/020#61]
pon cikap-po utar hene euesayne
be.small bird-DIM ASS even flock.together
‘even small birds flocking together’
chiba2015 HOR Kanenari Matsu 金成マツ, 六人の山子, 千葉大学報告書 [chiba-325/25#19]

Lexicalization in animal names: isepo and the class-term question 1 claims ·8 sentences

How does the diminutive suffix appear as a fossilized element in Hokkaido Ainu animal names?

  1. The noun menopoko 'girl' is analyzed as consisting of menoko 'woman' and the diminutive suffix -po.
    名詞 menopoko「娘」は，menoko「女」に指小接尾辞 -po が付いた名詞と分析される。
    analysis generic menopokomenoko-po
    asserts sato2008

The okkaypo ambiguity: suffix versus noun po 'child' 1 claims ·8 sentences· 1 examples

How does Hokkaido Ainu resolve the ambiguity between the diminutive suffix and the homophonous noun meaning 'child' in forms like okkaypo?

  1. The diminutive suffix -po is derived from the independent noun po 'child/son'.
    指小辞 -po は独立名詞 po「子供・息子」に由来する。
    diachrony hokkaido/southwest/shizunai generic -popo
    asserts refsing1986
okkay-po utar
man-DIM ASS
‘young men (Saru: unambiguously DIM reading)’
ilcaa1976 SAR Kawakami Matsuko 川上まつ子, isoytak 独話1, ILCAA Ainu materials [aa-irc/003#26]

Horobetsu: -po on an intimate as 'deceased' 1 claims ·3 sentences

In the Horobetsu dialect of Hokkaido Ainu, what special meaning does the diminutive suffix take when attached to terms for intimates?

  1. The suffix -po originated as a diminutive suffix meaning 'child', used for 'small thing' or 'cute thing'; ak-po is allowed only in epic poetry, whereas in colloquial Horobetsu speech attaching -po to loved ones means 'deceased'.
    接尾辞-poは元来「子」に発した指小辞で「小さいもの」「可愛いもの」等を意味するが、ak-poは叙事詩にのみ許される形であり、幌別地方の口語で-poを親しいものに付けると「死んだ（故人）」の意になる。
    form-function hokkaido/southwest/horobetsu all -poak-poku-aki-poku-kor oper-po
    asserts kindaichi1936

Size modification without suffixation: prenominal pon and poro 1 claims ·9 sentences

What prenominal property verbs does Hokkaido Ainu use to express 'small' and 'big' without derivational suffixation?

  1. The element mo 'small' occurs in the meaning 'small' only as a constituent in a limited set of words, such as mo-rew 'small curve'.
    mo を「小さい」の意味で使うのは、mo-rew「小さな曲線」のような限られた語の構成要素としてだけである。
    distribution ainu momo-rew
    asserts nakagawa2024