Reconstruction:Proto-Kartvelian/ʒ₁am-
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 (ǯuma) forms have, as their plural forms, ჯიმა-ლ-ეფ-ი (ǯima-l-ep-i) and ჯუმა-ლ-ეფ-ი (ǯuma-l-ep-i), but the Zan suffix for pluralization is -ეფ-ი (-ep-i). 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 (ǯuma)
- Mingrelian: ჯიმა (ǯima), ჯჷმა (ǯəma)
- Old Georgian: ძმაჲ (ʒmay)
- ⇒ 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), Tbilisi: Tbilisi Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani State University Press, page 619–620
- Fähnrich, Heinz (2007) Kartwelisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Kartvelian Etymological Dictionary] (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.18) (in German), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 600–601
Further reading
- Čikobava, Arnold (1938) Č̣anur-megrul-kartuli šedarebiti leksiḳon [Laz–Megrel–Georgian Comparative Dictionary] (Works; IV) (in Georgian), Tbilisi: Arnold Chikobava Institute of Linguistics, published 2008, page 44―46
- Mač̣avariani, Givi (1956), “A xmovnis labializaciis šemtxvevebi svanurši [Cases of labialization of the vowel a in Svan]”, in Sakartvelos ssr mecnierebata aḳademiis moambe (in Georgian), issue 4, Tbilisi, page 365―368
- Gudava, Ṭogo (1960), “O-s u-ši gadasvlis zogierti šemtxveva zanur (megrul-č̣anur) enaši [Some cases of transition of o into u in Zan (Mingrelian-Chan) language]”, in Sakartvelos ssr mecnierebata aḳademiis moambe (in Georgian), volume 25, issue 1, Tbilisi, page 119―122