Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ḫamš-

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

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Etymology

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Cognate with Proto-Berber *səmmus (whence Central Atlas Tamazight ⵙⵎⵎⵓⵙ (smmus)).

Numeral

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Proto-Semitic numbers (edit)
 ←  4 5 6  → 
    Cardinal: *ḫamš-

*ḫamš-

  1. five

Usage notes

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This number exhibited chiastic concord (gender polarity), in which masculine forms were used to agree with feminine nouns, and feminine forms with masculine nouns.

Reconstruction notes

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Huehnergard reconstructs *ḫamiš- following the Akkadian vowels, which would then have undergone syncope to *ḫamš- per Steiner.

Inflection

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Descendants

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References

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  • Weninger, Stefan (2011) “Reconstructive Morphology”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 167
  • Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN, page 61
  • Richard C. Steiner (2012) “Vowel Syncope and Syllable Repair Processes in Proto-Semitic Construct Forms: A New Reconstruction Based on the Law of Diminishing Conditioning”, in Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization[1], volume 67, →ISSN