Reconstruction:Proto-Balto-Slavic/šéš

This Proto-Balto-Slavic 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-Balto-Slavic

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Etymology

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From Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs. According to the reconstruction *šéš, the initial consonant was assimilated to the final one, otherwise a regular version through ruki sound law should give the Proto-Balto-Slavic reflex *séš.

But an initial s- is found in the Baltic languages (e.g., Latvian seši, pre-Lithuanian *seši > Lithuanian šeši), perhaps pointing to the alternative version in Proto-Balto-Slavic, *séš in which ruki sound law applies regularly.

Furthermore, cardinal number 6 ("sixth") in Old Prussian is usts, from earlier *ustas, which then points to a Proto-Western Baltic variant, *us, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *uš.

Eventually, linguist Vytautas Mažiulis (2004) reconstructs Proto-Balto-Slavic as *swéš (PB *sešes and *us) instead of *šéš.

Numeral

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*šéš[1][2]

Proto-Balto-Slavic cardinal numbers
 <  5 6 7  > 
    Cardinal : *šéš
  1. six

Inflection

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This numeral needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

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  • Latgalian: seši
  • Latvian: seši
  • Lithuanian: šešì (< earlier *sešì)
  • Proto-Slavic: *šȅstь (< *šeś-ti) (see there for further descendants)

References

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  1. ^ Derksen, Rick (2008) “*šȇstь”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 487:*ṣeṣ
  2. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015) “šeśi”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 446:*ṣeṣ