Reconstruction:Proto-Algonquian/nyi·šwi

From a Proto-Algic root whence also Proto-Algic *ni·teme· (“twice, two times”) (Wiyot rithé (dithé), Yurok na'ami).

Compare Wiyot rit-, ritw- (“two”) and Yurok n(V)'(V)(C) (na'an' (“two”), na'ey (“two (boats)”), no'oh (“two (round things)”), ni'ihl (“two (human beings)”), ni'iin (“two (human beings)”), ni'iyen (“two (human beings)”)).

Proulx argues that Bloomfield initially included the 'y' before the 'i·' in this and some other words out of consideration for Menominee, but that the 'y' is erroneous and fails to be preserved in any Algic language because it was probably not there in the first place. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that all of the numbers from 1–5 "contain a semantically empty initial (root) *ny-, realized as *ne- before a consonant", and that *ni- does not occur in this context.[1]

*nyi·šwi

1. two (2)

• *nyi·šwa·šika (“seven”)

• Abenaki: nis (“two (in counting)”)
• Arapaho: niis (“two (in counting)”), nīsi
• Cheyenne: néš- (“two”)
• Plains Cree: nîso, ᓃᓱ (“two”)
• Fox (Sauk): Fox: nîshwi (“two”)
• Gros Ventre: nīθä (“two”)
• Malecite-Passamaquoddy: nis (“two”)
• Massachusett: neese, nees (“two”)
• Menominee: ni·s (“two”)
• Mohegan-Pequot: nis (“two”)
• Nawathinehena: nīsähä (“two”)
• Ojibwe: niizh (“two”), niizho- (“two”)
• Unami: nisha (“two”)
• Munsee: níisha (“two”)

• *ta·paw- (“two”)

• Kroeber (1917)
• Siebert (1975)
• Richard Rhodes and David Costa, The History of Algonquian Number Words