A grammar of Pite Saami, 2014

10.1 Nominal derivation
The base is typically a verb, but can be a noun, as in (30). The stem of the
derived agent noun is in the weak grade. As illustrated by (28) and (29), the
resulting agent noun (with a root máles and åhpa) may no longer be directly
derivable from the comparable verb (there is no verb *málle-t ‘cook-inf’, only
málestit, nor a verb *åhpa-t, but instead åhpådit ‘teach-inf’).
Note that the noun báhkojådedäddje ‘chairperson’ in (29) is a compound calque
based on the Swedish equivalent ordörande, which literally means ‘word-driver’.
It is not clear whether ? jådedäddje ‘driver’ exists on its own.
10.1.5 The state nominalizer suffix -vuohta
The nominalizing suffix -vuohta (glossed as nmlz3) typically derives nouns from
adjectives, as in (32) through (34).
(32) vassjalis → vassjalis-vuohta ‘activity’
active active-nmlz3\nom.sg [3082]
(33) sádnes → sádnes-vuohta ‘truth’
true true-nmlz3\nom.sg [1476]
(34) luossis → luossis-vuohta ‘melancholy’
heavy heavy-nmlz3\nom.sg [2519]
The suffix -vuohta can also be applied to a derived adjectival base. In (35), the
stem máhtelis ‘possible’ is itself a derived adjectival based on the verb máhttet
‘can’. The deepest derivational base in the example in (36) is roughly analogous,
but one step farther removed from the final derived form: the highest-level base
bargodis ‘unemployed’ is an adjectival form of the noun bargo ‘work’, which itself
is a deverbal form based on the verb barrgat ‘work’ (cf. example (18) in §10.1.3
above).
(35) máhtelis → máhtelis-vuohta ‘possibility’
possible possible-nmlz3\nom.sg [6533]
(36) bargodis → bargodis-vuohta ‘unemployment’
unemployed unemployed-nmlz3\nom.sg [3131]
Much as with (36) above, the base tjalmedis ‘blind’ in (37) is itself based on the
noun tjalbme ‘eye’ derived by the suffix -dis indicating a lack of the base referent.
Thus, tjalmedisvuohta could be literally translated as ‘eye-less-ness’.
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