Reconstruction:Proto-Nakh/xi

This Proto-Nakh 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-Nakh

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Reconstruction notes

According to Schrijver, “[g]iven the prevalence of word-final *n in Daghestanian, the Chechen oblique stem χin- [xin-, resp.] may well be a precious archaism.” However, -n- is a later extension for the ergative and allative singular. In fact, there is a synonymous doublet xie (from ergative *xiwo and allative *xige) with case homonymy, which resulted in a late insertion.

The origin of the long vowel in the Ingush form is completely unclear, but the oblique stem contains a short vowel.

Noun

*xi (stem *xi-)

water

Descendants

Bats: ხი class dd (xi)
Vainakh:
- Chechen: хи class dd (xi)
- Ingush: хий class dd (xii)

References

Nikolaev, Sergei L.; Starostin, Sergei A. (1994), “*x̱ä̆nɦɨ̆”, in A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary‎^[1], Moscow: Asterisk Publishers, pages 1060–1061: “*χi”
Schrijver, Peter (2021), “A history of the vowel systems of the Nakh languages (East Caucasian), with special reference to umlaut in Chechen and Ingush”, in Languages of the Caucasus‎^[2], volume 5, →DOI, →ISSN, page 143: “*χi”