Reconstruction:Proto-Berber/a-lɣəm
Proto-Berber edit
Etymology edit
Widely considered to be a metathesis of an early borrowing ultimately from Semitic language, with the form *gamal; compare Arabic جَمَل (jamal). The intermediate is unknown, and Kossmann (2005) raises several formal problems, beyond just metathesis, with the common suggestions of Latin camēlus and Coptic ϭⲁⲙⲟⲩⲗ (camoul).
Noun edit
*a-lɣəm m
Reconstruction notes edit
Kossmann (2005) suggests that the labialization may point to an original *a-lɣŭm. Kossmann (2013) also suggests *a-ləɣəm as an alternate solution to the consonant cluster.
Descendants edit
Descendants of the form *a-ḷəm:
- Tuareg:: (including feminine forms, as the masculine is often rare or lost altogether)
- Sedentary dialects: (likely borrowed from Tuareg)
Descendants of the form *a-l(ə)ɣ(ʷ)əm:
- Awjila: alóɣom, alöɣóm
- Fogaha: alɣûm, alɣúm
- Sokna: lǎɣóm
- Nefusa: álɣåm, alɣóm
- Siwi: alɣəm
- Zuwara: alɣóm
- Tashelhit: ⴰⵍⵖⵯⵎ (alɣʷm), ⴰⵕⵄⵎ (aṛɛm), ⴰⵕⴰⵎ (aṛam)
- Central Atlas Tamazight: ⴰⵍⵖⵎ (alɣm), ⴰⵍⵖⵯⵎ (alɣʷm)
- Kabyle: alɣwem, alɣem
- Tachawit: alɣəm
- Northern Saharan Berber: alɣəm (Figuig)
- Tarifit: ařɣem, alɣem (Iznasen)
- Zenaga: aǧiʔm, ayiʔm (via regular metathesis)
Descendants that may belong to either of the above forms:
- Tetserret: aylim
Descendants of the form *a-ɣlam:
- Tamasheq: aɣlam (“young adult camel”) (in the dialects of Niger and Burkina Faso)
Borrowings that may be direct from Berber:
- → Hausa: rā̀ƙumī (see there for further descendants)
- → Kanuri: kalímo (from an older form kalígimo)
- → Ngizim: dlə́gámáu, dlə́kə́mau (a possible medium on phonological grounds for many of the borrowings below)
Borrowings that are likely indirectly from Berber, through uncertain intermediates (with multiple levels of borrowing in the case of nativized forms that now refer to the horse):
- → Karekare: dlúkùmó
- → Bole: dlukumo
- → Ngamo: ndìkmò
- → Kanakuru: dlə́ŋŋó, dlə́ŋók
- → Lamang: dlə̀gwàamà, ɬugwama (latter form from the Zələdvə dialect)
- → Uldeme: ázlə̀wèmè
- → Mbuko: zlùgwèmè
- → Wandala: eldugọmẹ, lugwama
- → Glavda: áadləgòma, ádləgòma
- → Mafa: dlúgúmây, dlúgúmáy
- → Matal: dlígùmí
- → Mofu-Gudur: ɬágwàmò
- → Daba: dlogomo
- → Cibak: dlugwam
- → Huba: dlə́gwàm
- → Margi: adlugwom, ləgwam
- → Musgu: dlìgìnìi
- → Buduma: lògùmé
- → Lagwan: lògòmè
- → Guduf-Gava: lungwome
- → Kwang: lokúma, lògə̀mà, kùlùkum (“horse”), kúlóogúm (“horse”)
- → Kabalai: làkmà (“horse”)
- → Lele (Chad): lùŋmà (“horse”)
- → Ndam: lùkmà, làam (“horse”)
- → Sokoro: lúgumo
- → Dangaléat: lòkùmò
- → Migaama: lókùmu
- → Birgit: lòkòmó, lògòmó
- → Niellim: lwāàgūùm (via a Chadic language)
- → Podoko: dúgwąmạ
- → Gidar: dǫgǫ́mọ
- → Bacama: lùkápto (with an added suffix and possibly assimilation of the /m/)
- → Masana: lámka, lákmáná (possibly metathesis or suffixation); kúlum (“horse”), kúlúmná (“horse”) (perhaps borrowed via Kanuri)
Likely borrowing into Mande, the origin of which is uncertain but possibly Zenaga: