Reconstruction:Proto-Turkic/bẹ

This Proto-Turkic 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-Turkic

Etymology

From oblique case of *bẹ. Often connected to Proto-Mongolic *bi (“I”) and Proto-Tungusic *bi (“I”).

Pronoun

*bẹ

1. I

Inflection

Declension of *bẹ (pronominal-n declension)

	Singular
Nominative	*bẹ
Accusative	*bẹni
Genitive	*bẹniŋ
Dative	*ben bile
Locative	*bente
Ablative	*benten
Allative 1)	{{{7}}}
Instrumental 1)	{{{8}}}
Equative 1)	{{{9}}}
Similative 1)	{{{10}}}
Comitative 1)	{{{11}}}

1) The original allative, instrumental, equative, similative & comitative cases have fallen into disuse in many modern Turkic languages.

Postposition

*bẹ

1. Denotes "to be" for first person singular when at the end of an object; am
2. Denotes first person singular after various tenses

Related terms

• *biŕ (“we”)

Derived terms

• *bẹ-niŋ
• *bẹ-ni

Descendants

• Oghur:
  • Chuvash: эпӗ (ep̬ĕ) (if it is not, from *bẹ)
• Common Turkic:

• Old Turkic:
  • Yenisei Kyrgyz: 𐰌𐰥‎ (b²n²‎ /⁠ben⁠/)[1]
  • Old Turkic: 𐰢𐰤‎ (mn²‎ /⁠men⁠/), 𐰋𐰤‎ (b²n²‎ /⁠ben⁠/)
  • Old Uyghur: pʾn (ben), mʾn (men)
• Karakhanid: مَنْ (men)
• Khorezmian Turkic: [script needed] (ben), [script needed] (men)
• Arghu:
  • Khalaj: [script needed] (män)
• Oghuz:
  • Old Anatolian Turkish: [script needed] (ben), [script needed] (-ven)
    • Azerbaijani: mən
    • Ottoman Turkish: بن (ben), م (-m, -im)
      • Turkish: ben, -im
      • Gagauz: bän
  • Salar: [script needed] (mēn), men
  • Turkmen: men, -in
• Kipchak: من (men)
  • West Kipchak:
    • Crimean Tatar: men
    • Karachay-Balkar: мен (men)
    • Kumyk: мен (men)
  • North Kipchak:
    • Bashkir: мин (min)
    • Tatar: мин (min)
  • South Kipchak:
    • Caspian:
      • Kazakh: мен (men)
      • Karakalpak: мен
      • Nogai: мен (men)
    • Kyrgyz-Kipchak:
      • Kyrgyz: мен (men)
      • Southern Altai: мен (men)
• Karluk:
  • Chagatai: من (mén)
    • Uzbek: men
    • Uyghur: مەن (men)
• Siberian:
  • North Siberian:
    • Dolgan: мин (min)
    • Yakut: мин (min)
  • South Siberian:
    • Sayan Turkic:
      • Tofa: мен (men)
      • Tuvan: мен (men)
    • Yenisei Turkic:
      • Khakas: мин (min)
      • Shor: мен (men)
      • Western Yugur: [script needed] (men)

Further reading

• Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*bĭ̀”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “ben”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 346