Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/su

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 1

Noun

*su

1. nest

Descendants

• Old Japanese: 巣 (su)
  • Japanese: 巣 (su)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *su
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kikai: 巣 (sū)
    • Kunigami: 巣 (shī)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: 巣 (sï, shi)
    • Okinawan: 巣 (shī)
    • Oki-No-Erabu: 巣 (shī)
    • Southern Amami-Oshima: 巣 (sïï)
    • Toku-No-Shima: 巣 (sïï)
    • Yoron: 巣 (shī)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • Miyako: 巣 (sïï)
    • Yaeyama: 巣 (sïï)
    • Yonaguni: 巣 (chī)

Etymology 2

Perhaps a native Japanese term, with the su reading somehow related to the way that very sour things cause one to pucker.

Alternatively, may be a prehistoric borrowing from Middle Chinese 醋 (MC tshuH), borrowed earlier than the systematic introduction of kanji (vinegar was historically introduced to Japan in the 300-400s from China), and then later mistaken as a native Japanese term. Compare modern Mandarin 醋 (cù) or Cantonese 醋 (cou³).

Noun

*su

1. vinegar

Descendants

• Old Japanese: 酢 (su)
  • Japanese: 酢 (su)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *su
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kunigami: 酢 (shī)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: 酢 (shi, sïï)
    • Okinawan: 酢 (shī)
    • Oki-No-Erabu: 酢 (shī)
    • Southern Amami-Oshima: 酢 (sïï)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • Miyako: 酢 (sïï)
    • Yaeyama: 酢 (sïï)

Etymology 3

Reconstruction

Deriving this verb from a stem *səy- has been proposed on the basis of an imperative *sə and the Japanese stem forms in se-, except that this contradicts the normal development of the diphthong -əy in Japanese, which should develop into /i/ instead of /e/.

In Japanese, the se- forms are mostly regular for the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern, raising the possibility that the above irregular phonetic development may instead be a regular conjugational shift.

Verb

*su

1. to become, happen, occur
2. to do

Descendants

• Old Japanese: す (su)
  • Japanese: する (suru)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *si
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kunigami: すん (sun)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: しゅり (shuri)
    • Okinawan: すん (sun)
    • Southern Amami-Oshima: しゅむっ (shum)
    • Yoron: しゅん (shun)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • Miyako: しぃ (sï), っしぃ (ssï)
    • Yaeyama: しぃん (sïn), しぃーん (sïïn)