Reconstruction:Proto-Ryukyuan/pi

This Proto-Ryukyuan 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-Ryukyuan

Etymology 1

From Proto-Japonic *pi (“day”).

Noun

*pi

2. day

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Kikai: 日 (pī)
  • Kunigami: 日 (pī)
  • Northern Amami-Oshima: 日 (hi)
  • Okinawan: 日 (fī)
  • Oki-No-Erabu: 日 (hī)
  • Southern Amami-Oshima: 日 (hī)
  • Toku-No-Shima: 日 (hī)
  • Yoron: 日 (pī)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: 日 (psïï)
  • Yaeyama: 日 (psïï)
  • Yonaguni: 日 (chī)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Japonic *poy (“fire”).

Noun

*pi

2. fire

   Synonym: *Omatu

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Kunigami: 火 (pī)
  • Northern Amami-Oshima: 火 (hi) (in compounds)
  • Okinawan: 火 (fī, hī)
  • Southern Amami-Oshima: 火 (hī)
  • Yoron: 火 (pi) (in compounds)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: 火 (psïï)
  • Yaeyama: 火 (pïï)
  • Yonaguni: 火 (chī)

Etymology 3

Speculatively connected to Old Japanese ほと (poto₂, “vagina”). However, if the hypothesis that the Kojiki and some parts of the Nihon Shoki preserve the A/B distinction of po, it is that po is consistently spelled as 富 <po2>, not 本 <po1>. In this case, the vowels cannot be reconciled phonetically. See also Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b(j)at (“vulva”).

According to Nakasone (1983, 506), forms with a mid-back vowel Yoron ぽー (pō, tone class C), Kunigami ぽー (phō, tone class C), Okinawan ほー (hō, tone class BC), are derived from the following process: poo < powo < poɸo < popo, implying they sprung from a different root with the same initial p-.

Pronunciation

• Tone class: A

Noun

*pi

1. vulva

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Northern Amami-Oshima:
    • Yamatohama: ひー (hī)
  • Oki-No-Erabu:
    • China: びーび (tone class A)
    • Wadomari: びーび (tone class A)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako:
    • Hirara: ぴぃ゚すぃ゚ (pɿsɿ)
  • Yaeyama::
    • Ishigaki: ぴし (pishi) (irregular tone <LH>)
  • Yonaguni: ひー (hī) (tone class A)

References

• Thorpe, Maner Lawton (1983) Ryūkyūan Language History‎^[1], Doctoral dissertation. University of Southern California, page 276
• Thorpe, Maner Lawton (1983) Ryūkyūan Language History‎^[2], Doctoral dissertation. University of Southern California, page 286