Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/laylay-

This Proto-Semitic 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-Semitic

Noun

*laylay- m

night
Antonym: *yawm-

Inflection

Declension of *laylay-

Case

Singular

Dual

Plural

Nominative

*laylayum

*laylayāna

plural stem + *-ūna

Genitive

*laylayim

*laylayayna

plural stem + *-īna

Accusative

*laylayam

possessive forms

1st person

*laylayī / *laylayVya

—

*laylayVni

2nd person m

*laylayVka

*laylayVkumā / *laylayVkumay

*laylayVkum(ū)

2nd person f

*laylayVki

*laylayVkin(ā)

3rd person m

*laylayVšu

*laylayVšumā / *laylayVšumay

*laylayVšum(ū)

3rd person f

*laylayVša

*laylayVšin(ā)

Note: the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible.

Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *laylayuya for nom. case, *laylayiya for gen. case, *laylayaya for acc. case, etc.

Declension of 2sg m. possessive form (your/thy m.) *laylay-

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*laylayuka	*laylayāka	plural stem + *-ūka
Genitive	*laylayika	*laylayayka	plural stem + *-īka
Accusative	*laylayaka	*laylayayka	plural stem + *-īka

Declension of 2sg f. possessive form (your/thy f.) *laylay-

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*laylayuki	*laylayāki	plural stem + *-ūki
Genitive	*laylayiki	*laylayayki	plural stem + *-īki
Accusative	*laylayaki	*laylayayki	plural stem + *-īki

Reconstruction notes

Kogan reconstructs *layliy- to account for the Ge'ez form, whereas Fox reconstructs the reduplicated form *laylay- and the triradical form *layl- as coexisting in Proto-Semitic. Al-Jallad argues in favor of the reduplicated form underlying all the attested reflexes.
A feminine by-form (likely a singulative) can be reconstructed at the level of Proto-Semitic, and underlies many of the descendant forms.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒇷𒈝 (līlum), 𒆥𒋝 (līliātum) (plurale tantum)
West Semitic:
- → Akkadian: 𒇷𒇲 (li-la₂ /⁠līla⁠/), 𒇷𒂖 (li-el /⁠līl⁠/)
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: لَيْلَة (layla), لَيْل (layl) (reanalyzed as a triradical root, but with the original form preserved in the name لَيْلَى (laylā))
    - Egyptian Arabic: ليل (lēl), ليلة (lēla)
    - Maltese: lejl
    - Moroccan Arabic: ليل (līl), ليلة (līla)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: לֵילְיָא (lēləyā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܠܶܠܝܳܐ (lēlyā), ܠܝܠܐ (laylē)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: לַיִל (láyil), לַיְלָה (láyla, láylâ) (originally an accusative form)
      - Phoenician: 𐤋𐤋 (ll)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎍𐎍 (ll)
South Semitic:
- Old South Arabian:
  - Sabaean: 𐩡𐩡𐩺 (lly), 𐩡𐩺𐩡𐩺 (lyly)
  - Qatabanian: 𐩡𐩺𐩡 (lyl)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Amharic: ሌት (let), ሌሊት (lelit)
  - Ge'ez: ሌሊት (lelit)
  - Harari: ለይሊ (läyli)
  - Tigre: ላሊ (lali)
  - Tigrinya: ለይቲ (läyti)

References

Al-Jallad, Ahmad (2020) "“Night” in Proto-Semitic and the emergence of a new nominal declension in Arabic" (not formally published)
Fox, Joshua (2003) Semitic Noun Patterns, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN

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