Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/māy-

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

Alternative forms

*may-

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic *maʔ-.

Noun

*māy- m pl

water

Inflection

Declension of *māy-

Case

Singular

Dual

Plural

Nominative

*māyum

*māyāna

plural stem + *-ūna

Genitive

*māyim

*māyayna

plural stem + *-īna

Accusative

*māyam

possessive forms

1st person

*māyī / *māyVya

—

*māyVni

2nd person m

*māyVka

*māyVkumā / *māyVkumay

*māyVkum(ū)

2nd person f

*māyVki

*māyVkin(ā)

3rd person m

*māyVšu

*māyVšumā / *māyVšumay

*māyVšum(ū)

3rd person f

*māyVša

*māyVšin(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: *māyuya for nom. case, *māyiya for gen. case, *māyaya for acc. case, etc.

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*māyuka	*māyāka	plural stem + *-ūka
Genitive	*māyika	*māyayka	plural stem + *-īka
Accusative	*māyaka	*māyayka	plural stem + *-īka

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

	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*māyuki	*māyāki	plural stem + *-ūki
Genitive	*māyiki	*māyayki	plural stem + *-īki
Accusative	*māyaki	*māyayki	plural stem + *-īki

Reconstruction notes

Kogan gives the reconstructed form as *mā̆y-, with vowel length uncertain. No inflection is shown here; the Akkadian and some West Semitic forms are plural only, as are the Proto-Berber and Egyptian forms, suggesting that the same may have been the case for Proto-Semitic.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒀀 (mû)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: مَاء (māʔ), مَاه (māh), مَي (may)
    - Algerian Arabic: ما (mā)
    - Andalusian Arabic: ما (mā)
    - Baharna Arabic: مي (me)
    - Chadian Arabic: المي (almi)
    - Egyptian Arabic: مية (máyya)
    - Gulf Arabic: ماي (māy)
    - Hassaniya Arabic: ما (ma)
    - Hijazi Arabic: موية (mōya)
    - Iraqi Arabic: ماي (māy)
    - Juba Arabic: moya
    - Nubi: moyo
    - Libyan Arabic: مي (me)
    - Maltese: ilma
    - Moroccan Arabic: ما (mā)
    - North Levantine Arabic: مَي (may)
    - South Levantine Arabic: مي (ṃayy)
    - Sudanese Arabic: موية (mōya)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: מַיָּא (mayyā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܡܰܝܴ̈ܐ (mayyā)
      - Mandaic: ࡌࡉࡀ (miā/myā)
      - Lishana Deni: מאיא (ṃāya), מאייה (ṃāye), [script needed] (miya) (Christian Bishmiyaye dialect)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: מַיִם (máyim)
        → Yiddish: מים (mayim)
        → Dutch: majem
      - Phoenician: 𐤌𐤌 (mm /⁠mēm⁠/)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎊 (my)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Sabaean: 𐩣𐩥 (mw)
  - Safaitic: 𐪃𐪚 m (my /⁠māy⁠/), 𐪃𐪚𐪉 f (myt /⁠mayyat⁠/), 𐪃𐪅𐪑 (mwʾ /⁠mowayʾ⁠/), 𐪃𐪑 (mʾ /⁠māʾ⁠/)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Harsusi: myōh
  - Hobyót: ḥmo
  - Mehri: moh
  - Shehri: míh
  - Bathari: muh
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Dahalik: ማይ (may)
  - Ge'ez: ማይ (may)
  - Harari: ሚይ (miy)
  - Silt'e: መይ
  - Tigre: ማይ (may)
  - Tigrinya: ማይ (may)
  - Wolane: መይ
  - Zay: ማይ

References

Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 191
Alexander Militarev, A complete etymology-based hundred wordlist of Semitic updated: Items 75-100, in the Journal of Language Relationhip[s]

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