Reconstruction:Proto-Ryukyuan/kessa

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 *kesa (“this morning”), with irregular gemination of the second consonant.

A semantic shift 'a while ago' had also occurred in the Niigata and Nagasaki (/kesu/) dialects of Japanese.

Pronunciation

• Tone class: C

Noun

*kessa

1. a while ago
2. past

Descendants

• Northern Ryukyuan:
  • Kikai: ひっさ (hissa)
  • Kunigami: きっさ (khissa /⁠kʰíssà⁠/)
  • Northern Amami Ōshima: けさ (xesa, archaic)
  • Okinawan: きっさ (kissa /⁠kíssà⁠/)
  • Okinoerabu: ひっさ (hissa /⁠çìssâ⁠/)
  • Tokunoshima: ひっさ (hissa /⁠çɪ̀ssâ⁠/), くぃっしゃ (kïssha /⁠kɨ̀ɕɕá⁠/)
  • Yoron: ひっさ (hissa /⁠çíssá⁠/)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: きさー (kisā)
  • Yaeyama: くぃさ (kïsa /⁠kɨ̥̀sá⁠/)
  • Yonaguni: きっつぁ (kittsa /⁠kìttsá⁠/, “already”)