Reconstruction:Proto-Ryukyuan/garasu

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

Alternative forms

• *garas(V)a

Etymology

From Proto-Japonic *karasu (“crow”), with irregular voicing of the initial consonant.

The alternative reconstruction is due to forms ending in -a, but this must actually be a product of suffixing.

Pronunciation

• Tone class: C

Noun

*garasu

1. crow

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Kikai: 烏, 鴉 (garasā)
  • Kunigami: 烏, 鴉 (garāshi /⁠gàɾàːɕí⁠/)
  • Northern Amami Ōshima: 烏, 鴉 (garasï)
  • Okinawan: 烏, 鴉 (garasi /⁠gàɾàsì⁠/)
  • Okinoerabu: 烏, 鴉 (garashi /⁠gàɾàɕí⁠/)
  • Tokunoshima: 烏, 鴉 (gara /⁠gáɾà⁠/) (with irregular deletion of *-su; Thorpe (1983, 275) speculates this deletion was a remnant of this word being bimorphemic. See also the Proto-Japonic entry.)
  • Yoron: 烏, 鴉 (garashi /⁠gàɾàɕì⁠/)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: 烏, 鴉 (garasa)
  • Yaeyama: 烏, 鴉 (garasï /⁠gárásɨ́⁠/)
  • Yonaguni: 烏, 鴉 (garachi /⁠gàɾátɕî⁠/)

Further reading

Thorpe, Maner Lawton (1983) Ryūkyūan Language History‎^[1], Doctoral dissertation. University of Southern California, page 273