< Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic

Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/e-ka

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

Vovin (2020:302) apparently reconstructs initial *e- on the speculative basis that "the Northern Amami dialects point to initial proto-Ryukyuan *e-, not *i-", and claims the lack of palatalization in Benoki Okinawan 如何し (kāshi) demonstrates that the initial *e- is segmentable. However, it appears that no Ryukyuan dialect faithfully preserves the distinction of intial Proto-Japonic *e ~ *i, except *i- would trigger palatalization in a velar, alveolar , whether it is part of the phoneme or precedes the following syllable (c.f. Okinawan 池 (ichi, “pond of a garden”) < Proto-Ryukyuan *ike or Northern Amami-Oshima 急がるり (ishogaruri, “to rush”) < Proto-Ryukyuan *isogi).[1]

If the reconstruction is correct, the initial *e- may be cognate with Middle Korean 엇〯더〮 (Yale: ěsté, “how”).

Pronoun

*e-ka

  1. how

Descendants
  • Old Japanese: 如何 (ika)
    • Japanese: 如何 (ika, ikaga) (< ika, ika-ni-ka)
  • Proto-Ryukyuan: *e-ka
    • Northern Ryukyuan:
      • Kikai: 如何 (sha, sa), 如何な (ixana)
      • Kunigami: 如何 (cā, ikāna, hikāna)
      • Northern Amami-Oshima: 如何し (xyashi)
      • Okinawan: 如何 (chā, icha, ikana)
      • Oki-No-Erabu: 如何 (icha, ikya)
      • ⇒ Southern Amami-Oshima: 如何し (ikyashi, ixyāshi)
      • ⇒ Toku-No-Shima: 如何すぃ (ikyasï)
      • Yoron: 如何 (ichā)
    • Southern Ryukyuan:
      • Miyako: 如何 (ikya)
      • ⇒ Yaeyama: 如何有ら (ikāra)
      • ⇒ Yonaguni: 如何な (ikana)

References
  1. Thorpe, Maner Lawton (1983) Ryūkyūan Language History‎, Doctoral dissertation. University of Southern California, page 51
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