Justifications for the reconstruction of *h₁nómn̥ as h₃nóh₁mn̥
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Original paradigm
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| Athematic, acrostatic
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singular
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃néh₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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|
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singular
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dual
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plural
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃néh₁mō
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| vocative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃néh₁mō
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| accusative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃néh₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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| ablative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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| dative
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*h₃néh₁m̥ney
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥néy
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| locative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥, *h₃néh₁m̥ni
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁mén, *h₃n̥h₁méni
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| instrumental
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*h₃néh₁mn̥h₁
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥néh₁
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alternating e/o-grade
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| Athematic, acrostatic
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|
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singular
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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|
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singular
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dual
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plural
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| vocative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| accusative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*?
|
—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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| ablative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*?
|
—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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| dative
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*h₃néh₁m̥ney
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*?
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—
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*h₃néh₁m̥ney
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| locative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥, *h₃néh₁m̥ni
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*?
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—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥, *h₃néh₁m̥ni
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| instrumental
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*h₃néh₁mn̥h₁
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*?
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—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥h₁
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generalised o-grade
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| Athematic, acrostatic
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|
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singular
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
|
*h₃nóh₁mō
|
| genitive
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
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|
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singular
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dual
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plural
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| vocative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| accusative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥
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*h₃nóh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
|
*?
|
—
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
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| ablative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
|
*?
|
—
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥s
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| dative
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*h₃nóh₁m̥ney
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*?
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—
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*h₃nóh₁m̥ney
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| locative
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥, *h₃nóh₁m̥ni
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*?
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥, *h₃nóh₁m̥ni
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| instrumental
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥h₁
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*?
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—
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*h₃nóh₁mn̥h₁
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In the cases of Germanic, Hellenic and Phrygian, the noun declines with a short *o throughout. This can be explained by the fact that, in forms of the paradigm with the sequence *h₃nóh₁m̥n- (as opposed to *h₃nóh₁mn̥), PIE sound laws would delete the laryngeal and lengthen the vowel, leading to a form *h₃nṓmn- appearing in front of endings with a vowel, and the form *h₃nóh₁mn̥ elsewhere. Presumably this would have applied at a PIE level. These particular languages would then apply Osthoff's law (or an equivalent) which would shorten the vowel when preceding a resonant closing the syllable. Thus *h₃nṓmn- > *h₃nómn-. Germanic bases its declension on the original collective form, which, taking into account a generalisation of the o-grade and the sound changes I just described, would provide this paradigm:
- nominative *h₃nóh₁mō
- vocative *h₃nóh₁mō
- accusative *h₃nóh₁mō
- genitive *h₃nóh₁mn̥s > *h₃nṓmnes > *h₃nómnes
- dative *h₃nṓmney > *h₃nómney
- locative *h₃nṓmni > *h₃nómni
- instrumental *h₃nóh₁mn̥h₁ > *h₃nṓmneh₁ > *h₃nómneh₁
This would be reflected as:
- nominative *nōmô
- vocative *nōmô
- accusative *nōmô
- genitive *namniz
- dative *namnī
- locative *namni
- instrumental *namnē
After which analogy could conceivably shorten the vowel in the nominative, vocative and accusative endings.
A similar sequence of events would presumably have to happen early in Greek and Phrygian's histories, which considering the ubiquitiousness of Osthoff's law in Ancient Greek and the presumed close development of the two languages, is not at all unlikely.
Osthoff's law presumably also applied in Armenian and Italic, leading to a similar alternation between long and short o-grades throughout the paradigm. Italic appears to have generalised the long *o from the nomino-accusative, although influence from words like cognōmen (connected with the IE root ǵneh₃-) cannot be discounted. Armenian could have conceivably done the same thing, but it is also possible that the forms simply merged through phonological change, as below:
- *h₃nóh₁mn̥- > *ənṓmən- > *ənū́wən- > anun- > անուն-
- *h₃nómn- > *ənómn- > *ənówn- > anown- > անուն-
Both forms would have been written (and presumably pronounced) in the same way.
generalised e-grade?
edit
| Athematic, acrostatic
|
|
|
singular
|
collective
|
| nominative
|
*h₃néh₁mn̥
|
*h₃néh₁mō
|
| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
|
|
|
singular
|
dual
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plural
|
collective
|
| nominative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥
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*h₃néh₁m̥nih₁
|
—
|
*h₃néh₁mō
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| vocative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥
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*h₃néh₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃néh₁mō
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| accusative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥
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*h₃néh₁m̥nih₁
|
—
|
*h₃néh₁mō
|
| genitive
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
|
*?
|
—
|
*h₃néh₁mn̥s
|
| ablative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
|
*?
|
—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥s
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| dative
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*h₃néh₁m̥ney
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*?
|
—
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*h₃néh₁m̥ney
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| locative
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*h₃néh₁mn̥, *h₃néh₁m̥ni
|
*?
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—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥, *h₃néh₁m̥ni
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| instrumental
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*h₃néh₁mn̥h₁
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*?
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—
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*h₃néh₁mn̥h₁
|
generalise zero-grade
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| Athematic, acrostatic
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|
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singular
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃ń̥h₁mn̥
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*h₃ń̥h₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃n̥h₁méns
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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|
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singular
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dual
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plural
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collective
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| nominative
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*h₃ń̥h₁mn̥
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*h₃ń̥h₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃ń̥h₁mō
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| vocative
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*h₃ń̥h₁mn̥
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*h₃ń̥h₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃ń̥h₁mō
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| accusative
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*h₃ń̥h₁mn̥
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*h₃ń̥h₁m̥nih₁
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—
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*h₃ń̥h₁mō
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| genitive
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*h₃n̥h₁méns
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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| ablative
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*h₃n̥h₁méns
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥nés
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| dative
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*h₃n̥h₁méney
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥néy
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| locative
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*h₃n̥h₁mén, *h₃n̥h₁méni
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁mén, *h₃n̥h₁méni
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| instrumental
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*h₃n̥h₁ménh₁
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*?
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—
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*h₃n̥h₁m̥néh₁
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