Reconstruction:Proto-Ryukyuan/sukama

This Proto-Ryukyuan 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.

A surface analysis suggests that this might be a compound with the first two morae belonging to a verb stem *suk- in its 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”); compare Japanese 透く (suku, “to be transparent; to be seen through”), 漉く (suku, “to make paper from pulp by spreading it thin and drying it”), 鋤く (suku, “to plough”), 梳く (suku, “to comb”), 空く (suku, “to be empty”), 救う (sukuu, “to rescue”), 助ける ((ta)sukeru, “to help”), all with an underlying idea of "going through", and this root can likely be applicable to this word, as the sun rises and passes during the morning to daytime. The latter mora likely belongs to *ma (“space”). Compare *piruma (“daytime; afternoon”). The variable senses parallel the derivation of Japanese 努める (tsutomeru, “to endeavor, to strive for, to make an effort”) from 夙 (tsuto(-ni), “early in the morning”).

Yosuke Igarashi reconstructs this word as *sekama with tone class C,^[1] however a closer analysis using comparative, internal, and historical methods show that the first morae is a high back vowel, not a mid front vowel, and that the accent differs for the individual senses, and this strengthens the possibility that this was derived from a compound.

• Tone class: B (for the morning sense); C (for the business sense)

*sukama

1. morning (by extension):

   Synonym: *sutomete

   Synonym: *asa (in compounds)

   1. daytime
2. business (by extension):
   1. paying debt

• Northern Ryukyuan: すかま (sukama) (Omoro Sōshi, 1531)
  • Kikai: ’かんま (kanma), ’かま (kama)
  • Kunigami: しかーま (shikāma /⁠ɕìkàːmá⁠/)
  • Northern Amami Ōshima: すぃ゚’かま (sïkama)
  • Okinawan: すぃかま (sikama /⁠sìkàmà⁠/)
  • Okinoerabu: しかま (shikama, in compounds)
  • Southern Amami Ōshima: ㇲかーま (skāma /⁠skàːmà⁠/)
  • Tokunoshima: しかま (shikama /⁠ɕɪ̀kámà⁠/)
  • Yoron: しかま (shikama /⁠ɕìkámá⁠/)
• Southern Ryukyuan:
  • Miyako: すぃま (sɿkama)
  • Yaeyama: すぃかま (sïkama /⁠sɨ̀kámá⁠/)
  • Yonaguni: しかま (shikama /⁠ɕìkámáꜜ⁠/)