Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/laylay-

This Proto-Semitic 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-Semitic

Noun

*laylay- m

night
Antonym: *yawm-

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.

Inflection

Declension of *laylay-

possessive forms
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	*laylayum	*laylayāna	plural stem + *-ūna
Genitive	*laylayim	*laylayayna	plural stem + *-īna
Accusative	*laylayam	*laylayayna	plural stem + *-īna
1st person	laylayī / laylayya	—	*laylayni
2nd person m	*laylayka	laylaykumā / laylaykumay	*laylaykum(ū)
2nd person f	*laylayki	laylaykumā / laylaykumay	*laylaykin(ā)
3rd person m	*laylayšu	laylayšumā / laylayšumay	*laylayšum(ū)
3rd person f	*laylayša	laylayšumā / laylayšumay	*laylayšin(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.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒆥𒋝 (liliātu [KIN.SIG]) (plurale tantum)
West Semitic:
- 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:
      Classical Syriac: ܠܠܝܐ‎ (lēlyā)
      
      Classical Syriac: ܠܝܠܐ‎ (laylē)
      
      Hebrew: לֵילְיָא‎ (lēləyā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: לַיִל‎ (láyil), לַיְלָה‎ (láylā) (originally an accusative form)
      - Phoenician: 𐤋𐤋‎ (ll)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎍𐎍 (ll)
  - Ethiopian Semitic:
    - Amharic: ሌት (let)
    - Ge'ez: ሌሊት (lelit)
    - Harari: ለይሊ (läyli)
    - Tigre: ላሊ (lali)
    - Tigrinya: ለይቲ (läyti)
- Old South Arabian:
  - Sabaean: 𐩡𐩡𐩺‎ (lly), 𐩡𐩺𐩡𐩺‎ (lyly)
  - Qatabanian: 𐩡𐩺𐩡‎ (lyl)
- → Akkadian: 𒇷𒇲 (li-la₂ /līla/), 𒇷𒂖 (li-el /līla/)

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

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.