Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/ʒ₁am-

This Proto-Kartvelian 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-Kartvelian

Alternative reconstructions

*ʒ₁ma- (Klimov)

Noun

*ʒ₁am- (Fähnrich–Sarǯvelaʒe)

brother

Reconstruction notes

The vowel is believed to have been present in the stem because of the Zan and Svan cognates. This vowel should have been ა (a), because Laz-Mingrelian vowels უ (u) and ი (i) correspond to Georgian ა (a). Also, note ძამ-ა (ʒam-a) and ძამ-იკ-ო (ʒam-iḳ-o) where the vowel has not dropped out. Accordingly, Fähnrich–Sarǯvelaʒe reconstructs *ʒ₁am-, while Klimov reconstructs *ʒ₁ma-.

Also, Mingrelian ჯიმა (ǯima) and Laz ჯუმა (cuma) forms have, as their plural forms, ჯიმა-ლ-ეფ-ი (ǯima-l-ep-i) and ჯუმა-ლ-ეფ-ე (cuma-l-ep-e), but the Zan suffix for pluralization is -ეფ- (-ep-). Therefore, in the plural forms of these words, the consonant ლ (l) is restored, which suggests that, originally, this consonant might have been present in the singular.

Descendants

Proto-Georgian-Zan:
- Old Georgian: ძმაჲ (ʒmay)
  - Georgian: ძმა (ʒma), ძამა (ʒama), ძამია (ʒamia), ძამიკო (ʒamiḳo)
- Zan: *ǯuma-
  - Laz: ჯუმა (cuma), ჟუმა (juma)
  - Mingrelian: ჯიმა (ǯima), ჯჷმა (ǯəma)
⇒ Svan: ჯჷმილ (ǯəmil, “brother (in relation to sister)”)

References

Klimov, G. A. (1998) Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages (Trends in linguistics. Documentation; 16), New York, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pages 288–289
Penrixi (Fähnrich), Hainc, Sarǯvelaʒe, Zurab (2000) Kartvelur enata eṭimologiuri leksiḳoni [Etymological Dictionary of the Kartvelian Languages] (in Georgian), 2nd edition, Tbilisi: Tbilisi Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani State University Press, pages 619–620
Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, pages 600–601