Reconstruction:Proto-Finnic/soomi

This Proto-Finnic 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.

• *sooma (possibly, based on the derived term)

From earlier *sämä; cognate with Proto-Samic *sāmē. Further etymology uncertain. Several theories have been proposed (mostly incompatible with the currently accepted proto-form *sämä), but none have been accepted.

One theory, proposed by Koivulehto among others, stated that the word originated from Baltic *šāma-, via Pre-Proto-Finnic *šämä from Proto-Balto-Slavic *źemē (“ground”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm; the vowel correspondences being explained by reborrowing back and forth, possibly with a late Proto-Germanic borrowing. The progress would have roughly been Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōm > Proto-Balto-Slavic *źemē (“ground”) → Pre-Proto-Finnic *šämä (> Proto-Finnic *hämä, Proto-Samic *sāmē) → Proto-Balto-Slavic *šāma- (or *sāma-, in view of Latvian sāms (“Finn, Öselian (inhabitant of Saaremaa)”), Latvian sāmenis (“northern wind”) and dialectal Lithuanian sómenis (“northwestern wind”), unless the Lithuanian word is a borrowing from Latvian) → (through Proto-Germanic?) Proto-Finnic *sooma. Koivulehto originally proposed that Proto-Balto-Slavic *šāma- would have been borrowed through Proto-Samic specifically. However, this theory assumes an improbable back-and-forth chain of borrowings, relying on too many unconfirmed assumptions, and thus has to be rejected (especially in light of current information).

Another theory proposed an origin from an earlier supposed *ćoma (“human”), either borrowed from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ or from pre-Proto-Balto-Slavic *ǵʰom-yā-. With the new information that the earlier form is actually *sämä, these too have to be rejected.

Antique ad-hoc proposals that the word is derived from *soo-maa (literally “fen land”) or *soo-neemi (literally “fen cape”), or from *soomu (“(fish) scale”) have long been considered untenable.

*soomi

1. person from Southwest Finland
2. (later) ? Finn in general

• *soomalainën

• Estonian: soome, Soome
• Finnish: suomi, Suomi (see there for further descendants)
  • Kven: Suomi
  • Meänkieli: Suomi
• Ingrian: soomi, Soomi
• Karelian: šuomi, Šuomi
• Livonian: sūom
• Livvi: suomi, Suomi
• Veps: suomi
• Võro: Soomõ
• Votic: soomi, Soomi
• → Latgalian: suomeja
• → Samogitian: Suomėjė
• → Lithuanian: Suomija

• Itkonen, Erkki, Kulonen, Ulla-Maija, editors (1992–2000), Suomen sanojen alkuperä ‎ (in Finnish) (online version; note: also includes other etymological sources; this source is labeled "SSA 1992–2000"), Helsinki: Institute for the Languages of Finland/Finnish Literature Society, →ISBN
• Häkkinen, Kaisa (2004) Nykysuomen etymologinen sanakirja (in Finnish), Juva: WSOY, →ISBN