Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/niḥnu

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

Etymology

From Proto-Afroasiatic. Cognate with Central Atlas Tamazight ⵏⵓⴽⴽⵏⵉ (nukkni).

Pronoun

*niḥnu

1. we (first-person plural personal pronoun)

See also

Proto-Semitic independent personal pronouns

		1st person	2nd person m	2nd person f	3rd person m	3rd person f
Nominative	Singular	*ʔanāku	*ʔanta	*ʔanti	*šuʔa	*šiʔa
	Dual	*niḥnu	*antumā / *antumay		*šumā / *šumay
	Plural		*ʔantum(ū)	*ʔantin(ā)	*šum(ū)	*šin(ā)
Oblique	Singular	— (enclitics used instead)			*šuʔātī	*šiʔātī
	Dual				*šumātī / *šumāytī
	Plural				*šumūtī	*šinātī

Descendants

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian: 𒉌𒄿𒉡 (nīnu)
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic: نَحْنُ (naḥnu)
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic: אֲנַחְנָא (ʾănaḥnā), (later) אֲנָן (ʾănān)
        • Classical Syriac: ܐܢܰܚܢܰܢ (ʾənaḥnan), (later) ܐܢܳܢ (ʾănān)
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew: אֲנַחְנוּ (anákhnu, ʾănáḥnû), אֲנוּ (ánu, ʾănû)
        • Phoenician: 𐤍𐤇𐤍 (nḥn), 𐤀𐤍𐤇𐤍 (ʾnḥn)
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • >? Amharic: እኛ (ʾəña)
    • Ge'ez: ንሕነ (nəḥnä)
    • Tigrinya: ንሕና (nəḥna)
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Soqotri: حن (ḥan)

References

• Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN