Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/nə

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

Etymology

Probably an apophonic form of *-na (“genitive marker”).

Particle

*nə

genitive case marker

Usage notes

According to Pellard (2023), Proto-Japonic *-nka originally applied only to genitive forms of pronouns. Elsewhere, *nə was used. In Proto-Ryukyuan, due to later animistic influence, it was semantically extended as a nominative case marker (Proto-Japonic simply used the bare noun for the nominative).

However, in Old Japanese, が (ga) was used after nominatives in general, not just pronouns. Morever, when following pronouns or other nominatives indicating persons, が (ga) marked 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]^[2]

Descendants

Old Japanese: の (no₂)
- Japanese: の (no)
Proto-Ryukyuan: *no
- Northern Ryukyuan: 노 (/no/) (Haytong Ceykwukki, 1501)
  - Kikai: ぬ (nu)
  - Kunigami: ぬ (nu)
  - Northern Amami Ōshima: ぬ (nu)
  - Okinawan: ぬ (nu)
  - Okinoerabu: ぬ (nu)
  - Southern Amami Ōshima: ぬ (nu)
  - Tokunoshima: ぬ (nu)
  - Yoron: ぬ (nu)
- Southern Ryukyuan:
  - Miyako: ぬ (nu)
  - Yaeyama: ぬ (nu)
  - Yonaguni: ぬ (nu)

References

^ “の”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ “が”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[KDJC-no-1] “の”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[KDJC-ga-2] “が”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[1]

[2]