Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/-nka
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This Proto-Japonic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence. |
Proto-Japonic[edit]
Etymology[edit]
According to one theory, possibly from an otherwise-unattested emphatic particle *ka, with the nasal from compounding with the genitive forms of pronouns such as *wana ka (“my”) > *wanka, which was resegmented as *wa-nka. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)
However, there is a lack of evidence for such an emphatic particle. The closest match in various modern references[1][2][3] is an emphasizing prefix か (ka-) that attaches to certain adverbs from the 800s, and to certain adjectives from the early 1000s.
Particle[edit]
*-nka
- adnominative marker: the preceding nominal acts to quality the following nominal in some fashion
Usage notes[edit]
When following pronouns or other nominatives indicating persons, this may have served in a genitive or possessive capacity, in use alongside *nə. In Old Japanese, が (ga) was used after nominatives indicating persons to mark other nominatives that were relatively close to the indicated person, while の (no) was used for nominatives that were more psychologically or emotionally distant.[1]
In Ryukyuan, *-nka came to be used for humans in general.[4]
Descendants[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “か”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
- ^ “か”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen][2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ Pellard, Thomas (2018) Ryukyuan and the reconstruction of proto-Japanese-Ryukyuan, De Gruyter Mouton.