Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/-nci

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This Proto-Finnic 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-Finnic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Uralic *-mte. Cognates include Proto-Samic *-mtë, Hungarian -d.

Reconstruction[edit]

Most Finnic varieties have (1) lost the final vowel, and (2) simplified the consonant cluster to s or z in the nominative, but longer endings -ns, -si, -nsi are attested from a scattered number of varieties: Southeastern Finnish (Kymi region), the Hevaha dialect of Ingrian, and Veps, and a few parishes of Savo Finnish. Earlier *-ns is also required by Livonian kuolmõz (third) < *kolmaas (the expected reflex of *kolmas would be unattested ˣkuolmāz), by Eastern Finnish long-vowel endings such as kolmaas, and probably also diphthongized endings such as Livvi and Upper Luga Ingrian kolmais.

Setälä (1899: 365–366) suspects that shorter -s and longer *-nsi may have persisted for long as parallel free variants.

Suffix[edit]

*-nci

  1. Forms ordinal numbers from the corresponding cardinal.

Inflection[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Estonian: -s
  • Finnish: -s
  • Ingrian: -s
  • Karelian:
  • Livvi: -z
  • Livonian: -z
  • Veps: -nz'
  • Võro: -s

References[edit]

  • Hakulinen, Lauri. 1941–2000. Suomen kielen rakenne ja kehitys ('The Structure and Development of the Finnish Language'). Helsinki: Otava/Helsingin yliopisto.
  • Setälä, E. N. 1899. Yhteissuomalainen äännehistoria. 1.–2. vihko. Konsonantit. ('Common Finnic historical phonology: Consonants'.) Helsinki.

External links[edit]