Reconstruction:Proto-Ryukyuan/-nai

This Proto-Ryukyuan 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-Ryukyuan

Etymology

From Proto-Japonic *-nu (verb negativizer).

Suffix

*-nai

1. Negativizes a verb in the irrealis stem.

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Kikai: ねーん (-nēn), ねーらん (-nēran)
  • Kunigami: ねー (-nē), ぬ (-nu)
  • Northern Amami-Oshima: ねん (-nen)
  • Okinawan: ねーん (-nēn)
  • Oki-No-Erabu: ん (-n)
  • Southern Amami-Oshima: ねむっ (-nem), ねーむっ (-nēm)
  • Yoron: ねん (-nen), ねんぬ (-nennu)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: なーん (-nān)
  • Yaeyama: ねーぬ (-nēnu)
  • Yonaguni: みぬん (-minun)