Suffixes and postbases are added to noun or verb stems to create a new word or a new form of a word. There are three reasons to add these endings in Alutiiq.

1)To make the subject and verb of a sentence agree in mood and in number.

2)To add to, or change the meaning of verbs and nouns.

3)To make sentences into a question, add emphasis, or make exclamations through the addition of an enclitic. (Unlike postbases & suffixes, which become part of the word they attach to, enclitics are added to the end of words with a hyphen mark.)

Suffixes: Making Sentences Agree in Mood and Number:
In an Alutiiq sentence, the noun or subject of a sentence must agree with the verb. In other words, the verb will reference the number (1, 2, or 3+) and type of the subject (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person) with a certain suffix. These endings are different for past, present, and future tense, as well as for transitive and intransitive verbs and different moods (See Verb Stems). Command-type sentences are one mood, while simple fact statements, questions, and other types are in different moods.

This all sounds complicated, and it is! But the method you use to add these suffixes to words is the same across all of these moods. First, you strip the noun or verb to its stem, then you add the suffix according to its joining type, and the type of sentence you are writing. Native speakers are accustomed to adding these endings from childhood, and can do so without the aid of a chart or lengthy analysis.

Here are some examples of sentences using the same root word, but with different suffixes:

Notice in the first example, Akingq'rtuten-qaa?, the subject you (ellpet) is not named in the Alutiiq sentence. Although technically one word, with an enclitic, Akingq'rtuten-qaa? Has 5 identifiable parts: Akir- + -ngq'rte + tu + ten+ -qaa. The first suffix -ngq'rte means "to have [the preceeding noun]." The second suffix, +tu references the fact that the sentence is in the present tense, and is indicative (in other words, a statement). The final suffix +ten means that the speaker is talking to you, singular. The -qaa enlitic transforms this example into a question; -qaa? Asks for a yes/no answer. If the speaker was talking to a large group of people, he or she would say Akingq'rtuci-qaa? "Do you all have money?" The +ci ending means the speaker is refering to you all.

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