Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/napš-

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

*napš- f

1. life
2. breath
3. soul
4. personality

Inflection

Declension of *napš-

case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*napšum	*napšāna	*napšātum
accusative	*napšam	*napšayna	*napšātim
genitive	*napšim
possessive forms
1st person	*napšī / *napšVya	—	*napšVni
2nd person m	*napšVka	*napšVkumā / *napšVkumay	*napšVkum(ū)
2nd person f	*napšVki		*napšVkin(ā)
3rd person m	*napšVšu	*napšVšumā / *napšVšumay	*napšVšum(ū)
3rd person f	*napšVša		*napšVšin(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: *napšuya for nom. case, *napšiya for gen. case, *napšaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒍣 (napištum)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: نَفْس (nafs)
      • Maltese: nifs
      • → Azerbaijani: nəfəs
      • → Armenian: նաֆաս (nafas), նաֆս (nafs)
      • → Baluchi: نپس (napas)
      • → Khalaj: nəfəs
      • → Malay: nafas
        • Indonesian: napas
          • → Amahai: napas
        • → Tausug: napas
      • → Persian: نفس (nafas)
      • → Swahili: nafasi
      • → Ottoman Turkish: نفس (nefes)

        > Turkish: nefes (inherited)

      • → Uyghur: نەپەس (nepes)
      • → Uzbek: nafas
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: נַפְשָׁא (nap̄šā)
        • Classical Syriac: ܢܲܦܼܫܵܐ (nap̄šā)
        • Lishana Deni: נושא (nōšā)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ (néfesh, nép̄eš)
      • Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎔𐎌 (npš /⁠napšu⁠/)
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Old South Arabian: 𐩬𐩰𐩪 (nfs¹)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic: ነፍስ (näfs)
    • Argobba: ነፍስ (näfs)
    • Ge'ez: ነፍስ (näfs)
    • Harari: ነፍሲ (näfsi)
    • Sebat Bet Gurage: ነፍስ (näfs)
    • Tigrinya: ነፍሲ (näfsi), stem nǝss- found in personal pronouns
    • Tigre: ነፍስ (näfs)

References

• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 389