Reconstruction:Proto-Malayo-Polynesian/maN-

This Proto-Malayo-Polynesian 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-Malayo-Polynesian

Etymology

Portmanteau of *-um- and *paN-.

Prefix

*maN-

1. inflectional prefix marking actor voice

Usage notes

The -N- in this prefix is a morpheme representing all mutations affecting the next initial consonant, or less likely an orthographic form of -Ŋŋ-:

• Before voiceless obstruents (*k, *p, *s, *t), this suffix becomes *maŋ-, *mam-, *mañ-, *man- respectively with deletion of the following initial consonant:
  • *kaən (“to eat”) → *maŋaən
  • *piliq (“to choose”) → *mamiliq
  • *tənun (“to weave”) → *manənun
  • *sapu (“to wipe”) → *mañapu
• Before voiced obstruents (*b, *d, *g, *z) and the dental sonorant *l, it has allomorphs similar to above except the initial consonant is not deleted:
  • *bəli (“to buy”) → *mambəli
  • *dəŋəʀ (“to hear”) → *mandəŋəʀ
  • *giliŋ (“to roll”) → *maŋgiliŋ
  • *zaqit (“to sew”) → *mañzaqit
  • The last assimilation is not represented, at least orthographically, in any Austronesian languages. Although in Bruneian, Malaysian, and Singaporean Malay varieties, /ndʒ/ → /ɲdʒ/ assimilation is said to be exist, it is completely lost in Indonesian.
  • Although the dental trill phoneme *r does exist in both Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Austronesian, it is extremely rare in word-initial position.
• Before other consonants (including *q, phonologically an obstruent and *ʀ) and all vowels, maŋ- is used instead.
  • *qəti (“to stop”) → *maŋqəti
  • *ulaŋ (“to repeat”) → *maŋulaŋ
  • *ʀaməs (“to squeeze”) → *maŋʀaməs

Descendants

• Proto-Philippine: *maN-
  • Cebuano: mang-
  • Pangasinan: mang-
  • Tagalog: mang-
• Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan: *maN-
  • Proto-Malayic: *mAN-
    • Malay: meng-
      • Indonesian: meng-
• Old Javanese: (m)aN-
• South Sulawesi
  • Makasar: aN-

References

• Ross, Malcolm (2002). "The history and transitivity of western Austronesian voice and voice-marking". In Fay Wouk and Malcolm Ross (eds.), The history and typology of western Austronesian voice systems, 17–62. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.