Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/karasu

This Proto-Japonic 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.

This Proto-Japonic entry contains original research. The reconstruction in this entry is based on published research, but the specific form presented here is not found in prior works.

Proto-Japonic

Etymology

Likely onomatopoeic.[1]

Pronunciation

Accent class: 3.6a (?)
- The accentual correspondences between the Japanese dialects are irregular; The Kyoto accent pattern in the Heian period is LHH, which suggests accent class 3.6. Tokyo has an irregular accent pattern HLL(L); such accent pattern only goes back to the now rejected accent class 3.3. Kyoto has conflicting accent data; the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten gives HHH(H) for Kyoto, but Hirayama (1960)'s Zenkoku Akusento Jiten gives HLL(L) for Kyoto. The former accent in Kyoto would be 3.1, but the latter would give an accent class of (3.3,) 3.4, or 3.5. Kagoshima has LLH(L) accent, which goes back to the Proto-Japonic low register (3.4, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7), and that also applies for Proto-Ryukyuan, which can be reconstructed with a tone class C, which also goes back to the aforementioned Proto-Japonic low register.

Note that Martin (1987)[2] also reconstructs accent class 3.6, based on more accentual data, to which we can integrate the Proto-Ryukyuan tone class data to apply the subclass 3.6a.

Noun

*karasu

crow

Descendants

Old Japanese: 烏, 鴉 (karasu)
- Japanese: 烏, 鴉 (karasu, Heian LHH, Tokyo 1 [HLL(L)], Kyoto 0 [HHH(H)] (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 2)[1]/1 [LLH ~ LLL(H)] (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten), Kagoshima B [LLH(L)])
Proto-Ryukyuan: *garasu (with inital consonant voicing; tone class C), *garas(V)a
- Northern Ryukyuan:
  - Kikai: 烏, 鴉 (garasā)
  - Kunigami: 烏, 鴉 (garāshi /⁠gàɾàːɕí⁠/)
  - Northern Amami-Oshima: 烏, 鴉 (garasï)
  - Okinawan: 烏, 鴉 (garasi /⁠gàɾàsì⁠/)
  - Oki-No-Erabu: 烏, 鴉 (garashi /⁠gàɾàɕí⁠/)
  - Toku-No-Shima: 烏, 鴉 (gara /⁠gáɾà⁠/) (with irregular deletion of *-su; Thorpe (1983, 275) speculates this deletion was a remnant of this word being bimorphemic. See also the Proto-Japonic entry.)
  - Yoron: 烏, 鴉 (garashi /⁠gàɾàɕì⁠/)
- Southern Ryukyuan:
  - Miyako: 烏, 鴉 (garasa)
  - Yaeyama: 烏, 鴉 (garasï /⁠gárásɨ́⁠/)
  - Yonaguni: 烏, 鴉 (garachi /⁠gàɾátɕî⁠/)

References

“からす【烏・鴉】”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”) ‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here (Note: Dialectal meanings, etymological theories, pronunciation including modern, dialectal, and historical information, Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai, historical dictionaries containing this word, and the kanji spellings in those dictionaries have been omitted.)
Martin, Samuel E. (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 439