Reconstruction:Proto-Yeniseian/ɬaws

This Proto-Yeniseian 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.
This Proto-Yeniseian entry contains original research. The reconstruction in this entry is based on published research, but the specific form presented here is not found in prior works.

Proto-Yeniseian

Alternative reconstructions

  • *λos, *λot (per Werner 2002)
  • *lōs (for Proto-Ketic), *dˡos, *dˡot (for Pre-Proto-Yeniseian, per Vajda-Werner 2022)
  • *ðoʧ, *ðoc (per Cologne group 2023 & 2024. Pattern: l.1-s.1)

Reconstruction notes

Whether this reconstruction should be *ɬaws as a simplex or *ɬaw-ç as a singulative-marked root is uncertain and cannot be inferred from surviving descendants. The former is adopted in light of the coordinate term *bus (penis), though this is arbitrary.

Etymology

Most likely related to Proto-Yeniseian *ɬawn (lip); which if true would reflect a bare stem *ɬaw- for the two terms. This bare stem would then be appended with the animate plural marker *-n for the former, yielding *ɬaw-n (two-lips, i.e. the mouth), and singulative marker *-ç for this root, yielding *ɬaw-ç (one-lip).

Also compare Kott d'ôš (pleasure), a potential cognate, though unclear.

Noun

*ɬaws or *ɬaw-ç (plural *ɬaws-Vŋ or *ɬaw-Vŋ)

  1. (anatomy) vulva, female genital organ
    Synonym: *tɬadʳ
    Coordinate term: *bus (penis, male genital organ)

Descendants

  • Ketic:
    • ⇒ Imbak Ket: d-los (her cunt) (Kl.)
    • Imbak Ket: loːs (M., W.)
    • Ostyak Yug: luš (M.)

Further reading

  • Bonmann, Svenja; Fries, Simon; Korobzow, Natalie; Günther, Laura; Hill, Eugen (2023), “l.1 (Table 28 [cont.])”, in “Towards a New Reconstruction of the Proto-Yeniseian Sound System. Part I: Word-Initial Consonants”, in International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics[1], number 5, Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, page 71 of 39-82
  • Hill, Eugen; Fries, Simon; Korobzow, Natalie; Günther, Laura; Svenja, Bonmann (2024), “'vulva'”, in “Towards a New Reconstruction of the Proto-Yeniseian Sound System. Part II: Word-Final Consonants”, in International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics[2], number 6, Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, page 252 of 216-293
  • Hill, Eugen; Fries, Simon; Korobzow, Natalie; Günther, Laura; Svenja, Bonmann (2024), “Coda-s.1 (Table 21)”, in “Towards a New Reconstruction of the Proto-Yeniseian Sound System. Part II: Word-Final Consonants”, in International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics[3], number 6, Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, page 279 of 216-293
  • Vajda, Edward; Werner, Heinrich (2022), “*dˡos/*dˡot”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 489
  • Werner, Heinrich (2002), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 15
  • Werner, Heinrich (2005), “vulva”, in Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, page 331