Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔināš-

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

Noun

*ʔināš- m

human

Reconstruction notes

Kogan considers the first vowel to be indeterminate and reconstructs *ʔVnāš-.

Inflection

Declension of *ʔināš-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*ʔināšum	*ʔināšāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*ʔināšam	*ʔināšayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*ʔināšim	*ʔināšayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	ʔināšī / ʔināšVya	—	*ʔināšVni
2^nd person m	*ʔināšVka	ʔināšVkumā / ʔināšVkumay	*ʔināšVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*ʔināšVki	ʔināšVkumā / ʔināšVkumay	*ʔināšVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*ʔināšVšu	ʔināšVšumā / ʔināšVšumay	*ʔināšVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*ʔināšVša	ʔināšVšumā / ʔināšVšumay	*ʔināšVšin(ā)

the endings -m and -na are dropped in the bound form, which may also undergo syncopation of an unstressed final vowel where possible. Note: the ending -V before the possessive endings responds to case: *ʔināšuya for nom. case, *ʔināšiya for gen. case, *ʔināšaya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒈬 (nīšum, “life”), 𒌦𒎌 (nišū, “people”)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: إِنَاس (ʔinās), أُنَاس (ʔunās), نَاس (nās)
    - Maltese: nies
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Biblical Aramaic: אֱנָשׁ (ʾĕnāš)
      
      Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אִינָשׁ (ʾīnāš, pronoun), אִינָשָׁא (ʾīnāšā)
      - Classical Syriac: ܐܶܢܳܫܳܐ (ʾenāšā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: אֱנוֹשׁ m (enósh, ʾĕnôš) (also claimed to be an old borrowing from Aramaic)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Harari: [script needed] (insi)
  - Tigre: እናስ (ʾənas)
- Modern South Arabian:
  - Mehri: ʔans
  - Soqotri: ʔinsíyye

References

Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, 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 232