Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/šurš-

This Proto-Semitic 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-Semitic

Noun

*šurš- m

root, wort

Inflection

Declension of *šurš-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*šuršum	*šuršāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*šuršam	*šuršayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*šuršim	*šuršayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	šuršī / šuršVya	—	*šuršVni
2^nd person m	*šuršVka	šuršVkumā / šuršVkumay	*šuršVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*šuršVki	šuršVkumā / šuršVkumay	*šuršVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*šuršVšu	šuršVšumā / šuršVšumay	*šuršVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*šuršVša	šuršVšumā / šuršVšumay	*šuršVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *šuršuya for nom. case, *šuršiya for gen. case, *šuršaya for acc. case, etc.

Reconstruction notes

As the non-Sabaean-Old South Arabian and Ethiopian Semitic descendants of of *ṯalāṯ- (“three”), here too, against some voices, which posit *śurš-,^[1] South Semitic exposes dissimilation, with the original identity of the first and third radical being preferredly reconstructed due to the rarity of this constellation in Proto-Semitic overall.^[2]

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒁼 (šuršum)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Old Aramaic: 𐤔𐤓𐤔
      
      Imperial Aramaic: 𐡔𐡓𐡔 (šrš)
      
      Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: שֻׁרְשׁ
      
      Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܫܘܪܫ (/⁠šurš⁠/)
      
      Jewish Literary Aramaic: שֻׁרְשׁא (šuršā), שֻׁורְשׁא (šuršā)
      
      Classical Syriac: ܫܽܪܫܳܐ (šeršā)
      - → Arabic: شِرْش (širš), شُرْش (šurš) (mostly dialectal)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: שֹׁרֶשׁ (shóresh, šṓreš)
      - Phoenician: 𐤔𐤓𐤔 (šrš)
        Punic: 𐤔𐤓 (šr)
        →? Proto-Berber:
        Central Atlas Tamazight: ⴰⵥⵓⵔ (aẓur)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎌𐎗𐎌 (šrš /⁠šuršu⁠/)
  - Old South Arabian: (“base, foundation”)
    - Minaean: 𐩦𐩧𐩪 (s²rs¹)
    - Qatabanian: 𐩦𐩧𐩪 (s²rs¹)
    - Sabaean: 𐩦𐩧𐩪 (s²rs¹)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - North Ethiopian:
    - Ge'ez: ሥርው (śərw), also ስርዌ (sərw), ሥር (sər), ሡር (sur), and distinguished ሠርዌ (śärw)
    - Tigre: ሥር (sər)
    - Tigrinya: ሥር (sər), ሡር (sur)
  - South Ethiopian:
    - Amharic: ሥር (sər)
    - Argobba: ሥሬድ (səred)
    - Gafat: ሥር (sər), ሥሬት (səret)
    - Sebat Bet Gurage: ሥር (sər)
    - Harari: ሥር (sər)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Shehri: ŝírɔ́ḫ
  - Soqotri: ŝeraḥ

References

^ Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 200 has *ŝVrš-, calling this reconstruction “conventional”. But Arabic شِرْس (širs, “thornbush”), with its root related to harshness and rare as it is, is likely an independent formation, for which the vowel variant شَرَس (šaras) is added evidence. Likely an extension of ش ر ر (š r r) “evil”, as also recognized by Růžička, Rudolf (1909) “Konsonantische Dissimilation in den semitischen Sprachen”, in Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), volume VI, number 4, Leipzig · Baltimore: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung · The Johns Hopkins Press, page 13. Confer also the variation of سَرِيش (sarīš, “kingspear”), with which there might have been contamination, as a “gluey” plant “clings” like a thornbush, and note شَرْشَر (šaršar), شَرْشِير (šaršīr, “caltrop”).
^ Vernet i Pons, Eulàlia (2016) “Etymologischer Ursprung der reduplizierten und geminierten Wurzeln im Proto-Semitischen”, in Proceedings of the 6th Biennial Meeting of the International Association for Comparative Semitics and Other Studies (Babel und Bibel; 9)‎^[2], Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, →DOI, →ISBN, page 193. And not even the نُون (nūn) and بَاب (bāb) therein are Proto-Semitic.

[1] Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 200 has *ŝVrš-, calling this reconstruction “conventional”. But Arabic شِرْس (širs, “thornbush”), with its root related to harshness and rare as it is, is likely an independent formation, for which the vowel variant شَرَس (šaras) is added evidence. Likely an extension of ش ر ر (š r r) “evil”, as also recognized by Růžička, Rudolf (1909) “Konsonantische Dissimilation in den semitischen Sprachen”, in Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[1] (in German), volume VI, number 4, Leipzig · Baltimore: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung · The Johns Hopkins Press, page 13. Confer also the variation of سَرِيش (sarīš, “kingspear”), with which there might have been contamination, as a “gluey” plant “clings” like a thornbush, and note شَرْشَر (šaršar), شَرْشِير (šaršīr, “caltrop”).

[2] Vernet i Pons, Eulàlia (2016) “Etymologischer Ursprung der reduplizierten und geminierten Wurzeln im Proto-Semitischen”, in Proceedings of the 6th Biennial Meeting of the International Association for Comparative Semitics and Other Studies (Babel und Bibel; 9)‎^[2], Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, →DOI, →ISBN, page 193. And not even the نُون (nūn) and بَاب (bāb) therein are Proto-Semitic.

[1]

[2]