Reconstruction:Proto-Salish/pəq'ʷ

This Proto-Salish entry contains reconstructed words 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-Salish

Etymology

Pharris and Thomason[1] suggest a connection between the Proto-Salish term and Nez Perce poxpoxs (“ashes”) and pux (“dust”).

As part of the undemonstrated Almosan hypothesis, some scholars have compared this word to Proto-Algonquian *penkwi (“ashes, dust”).[2]

Noun

*pəq'ʷ

powder

Descendants

Squamish: pək'ʷ (“form clouds of dust or smoke”)

References

Kuipers (2002)

Lexical Transfer between Southern Interior Salish and Molalla Sahaptian
A paper published in 1989 in Explorations in language macrofamilies: materials from the first International interdiscviplinary symposium on language and prehistory; edited by Vitaly Shevoroshkin even posits a link to Proto-Chukotko-Kamchatkan *piŋpiŋ "ashes", but this is controversial. Even Sergei L. Nikolaev, who attempts to link Wakashan, Nivkh and Algic (Almosan), and who notes the similarity of the Algonquian and Salishan words, says he "seriously doubt[s] whether Proto-Chukchi-Kamchatkan shares an immediate common ancestor with Nivkh, Wakashan and Algic; a more natural conclusion is that PChK merely shares" a number of contact words.

[1] Lexical Transfer between Southern Interior Salish and Molalla Sahaptian

[2] A paper published in 1989 in Explorations in language macrofamilies: materials from the first International interdiscviplinary symposium on language and prehistory; edited by Vitaly Shevoroshkin even posits a link to Proto-Chukotko-Kamchatkan *piŋpiŋ "ashes", but this is controversial. Even Sergei L. Nikolaev, who attempts to link Wakashan, Nivkh and Algic (Almosan), and who notes the similarity of the Algonquian and Salishan words, says he "seriously doubt[s] whether Proto-Chukchi-Kamchatkan shares an immediate common ancestor with Nivkh, Wakashan and Algic; a more natural conclusion is that PChK merely shares" a number of contact words.