لكن
Arabic edit
Etymology edit
Uncertain. Bravmann proposes an origin in إِلَّا كَانَ (ʔillā kāna, “except that [it/he] were”), but does not provide a convincing explanation for the contraction of the ā or for the suspicious similarity to أَنْ (ʔan) and أَنَّ (ʔanna) in the alternation of the ending.[1]
Pronunciation 1 edit
Conjunction edit
لٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)
Usage notes edit
- لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) functions like إِنَّ (ʔinna) and أَنَّ (ʔanna), shifting the subject of the subordinate clause to the accusative case. The subject of the subordinate clause must immediately follow لٰكِنَّ (lākinna); if it is a pronoun, it must be expressed. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنْ (lākin) below.
- لٰكِنَّ الرَّئِيسَ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākinna r-raʔīsa kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but the president was smarter than people expected
- لٰكِنَّهُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākinnahu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but he was smarter than people expected
Inflection edit
Inflected forms | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Base form | لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) | ||||
Personal-pronoun- including forms |
Singular | Dual | Plural | ||
Masculine | Feminine | Common | Masculine | Feminine | |
First person | لٰكِنَّنِي (lākinnanī) | لٰكِنَّنَا (lākinnanā) | |||
Second person | لٰكِنَّكَ (lākinnaka) | لٰكِنَّكِ (lākinnaki) | لٰكِنَّكُمَا (lākinnakumā) | لٰكِنَّكُمْ (lākinnakum) | لٰكِنَّكُنَّ (lākinnakunna) |
Third person | لٰكِنَّهُ (lākinnahu) | لٰكِنَّهَا (lākinnahā) | لٰكِنَّهُمَا (lākinnahumā) | لٰكِنَّهُمْ (lākinnahum) | لٰكِنَّهُنَّ (lākinnahunna) |
See also edit
- (ʾinna and her sisters) إِنَّ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا (ʔinna waʔaḵawātuhā); إِنَّ (ʔinna), أَنَّ (ʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), كَأَنَّ (kaʔanna), لَعَلَّ (laʕalla), لَيْتَ (layta), (Category: Sisters of ʾinna)
Pronunciation 2 edit
Conjunction edit
لٰكِنْ • (lākin)
- but, however
- but, rather
- Synonym: بَلْ (bal)
- لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْ
- lam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhum
- The students didn’t travel but their principal did.
- but not, after an affirmative.
Usage notes edit
- لٰكِنْ (lākin) acts as a simple conjunction, with the subject of the subordinate clause in the nominative; the subject may follow immediately or be delayed. If it is a pronoun, it may be omitted. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) above.
- لٰكِنِ الرَّئِيسُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākini r-raʔīsu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but the president was smarter than people expected
- لٰكِنْ (هُوَ) كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاس
- lākin (huwa) kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nās
- but he was smarter than people expected
- لٰكِنْ (lākin) is often preceded by وَـ (wa-, “and”).
Derived terms edit
- وَلٰكِن (walākin)
Descendants edit
- → South Levantine Arabic: لاكن (lāken)
- → Northern Kurdish: lêkin > Northern Kurdish: lê
- → Central Kurdish: لێکن (lêkin)
- → Classical Persian: لیکِن (lēkin), لَٰکِن (lākin), لَاکِن (lākin)
- → Swahili: lakini
- → Uzbek: lekin
References edit
- ^ Bravmann, Meïr Max (1977) “Arabic lākin(na) and Related Expressions”, in Studies in Semitic Philology (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics; VI), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 338–342
South Levantine Arabic edit
Conjunction edit
لكن • (lāken)
- Alternative spelling of لاكن (lāken, “but, however”)