Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/kinnār-

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

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly borrowed from Proto-Hurro-Urartian *kinnar (“lyre”), if not the other way around. Compare Hurrian 𒇽𒆠𒅔𒈾𒊒𒄷𒇷 (^LÚki-in-na-ru-ḫu-li /⁠kinnaruḫuli⁠/, “musician”).^[1]

Noun

*kinnār- m or f^[2]

lyre, harp

Reconstruction notes

As a cultural item whose East Semitic reflexes may in fact be loans, this word's reconstruction to the level of Proto-Semitic is uncertain.

Inflection

Masculine:

Declension of *kinnār-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kinnārum	*kinnārāna	plural stem + *-ūna
accusative	*kinnāram	*kinnārayna	plural stem + *-īna
genitive	*kinnārim	*kinnārayna	plural stem + *-īna

possessive forms
1^st person	kinnārī / kinnārVya	—	*kinnārVni
2^nd person m	*kinnārVka	kinnārVkumā / kinnārVkumay	*kinnārVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*kinnārVki	kinnārVkumā / kinnārVkumay	*kinnārVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*kinnārVšu	kinnārVšumā / kinnārVšumay	*kinnārVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*kinnārVša	kinnārVšumā / kinnārVšumay	*kinnārVšin(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: *kinnāruya for nom. case, *kinnāriya for gen. case, *kinnāraya for acc. case, etc.

Femenine:

Declension of *kinnār-
case	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*kinnārum	*kinnārāna	*kinnārātum
accusative	*kinnāram	*kinnārayna	*kinnārātim
genitive	*kinnārim	*kinnārayna	*kinnārātim

possessive forms
1^st person	kinnārī / kinnārVya	—	*kinnārVni
2^nd person m	*kinnārVka	kinnārVkumā / kinnārVkumay	*kinnārVkum(ū)
2^nd person f	*kinnārVki	kinnārVkumā / kinnārVkumay	*kinnārVkin(ā)
3^rd person m	*kinnārVšu	kinnārVšumā / kinnārVšumay	*kinnārVšum(ū)
3^rd person f	*kinnārVša	kinnārVšumā / kinnārVšumay	*kinnārVšin(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: *kinnāruya for nom. case, *kinnāriya for gen. case, *kinnāraya for acc. case, etc.

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Neo-Babylonian: 𒆠𒅔𒈾𒊒 (kinnārum) (potentially loaned from W. Sem.)
- Eblaite: 𒄀𒈾𒂗𒌝 (gi-na-ru₁₂-um), 𒄀𒈾𒊒 (gi-na-rúm /⁠kinnāru(m)⁠/)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: كِنَّارَة (kinnāra)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Old Aramaic: 𐡊𐡍𐡓 (knr)
      
      Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: כִינָרָא (kīnārā)
      
      Jewish Literary Aramaic: כִינָרָא (kīnārā)
      - Mandaic: ࡊࡉࡍࡀࡓ (kinar), ࡊࡉࡍࡀࡓࡀ (kinara)
      - Classical Syriac: ܟܷ݁ܢܴ݁ܪܳܐ (kennārā), ܟܐܢܪܐ (kennārā)
        → Old Armenian: քնար (kʻnar)
        → Armenian: քնար (kʻnar) (learned)
        → Georgian: ქნარი (knari)
        → Middle Persian:
        Book Pahlavi script: (knʾl /⁠kennār⁠/)
        → Sanskrit: किंनरा (kiṃnarā), किन्नर (kinnara, “deity of divine music; divinized lyre”)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: כִּנּוֹר (kinór, kinnôr)
        → Late Egyptian: knr, knjwr
        Coptic: ϭⲓⲛⲏⲣⲁ (cinēra)
        → English: kinnor
        → Ancient Greek: κινύρᾱ (kinúrā)
        → Late Latin: cinyra
        Italian: cinira
        → Italian: kinnor
    - Ugaritic: 𐎋𐎐𐎗 (knr /⁠kinnāru⁠/), 𒀭𒄑𒆠𒈾𒀸 (^dGIŠ ki-na-ru₃ /⁠kinnāru; deity of the lyre⁠/)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Amharic: ክራር (krar), ከራር (kärar)
  - Ge'ez: ከሰረ (kissari)
→? Khotanese: (tcaṃgiḍai, “stringed instrument”)
→? Parthian:
Manichaean script: 𐫢𐫗𐫗𐫃 (šnng /⁠šang⁠/)
→? Middle Persian: (“harp, lyre”) (or ← Middle Chinese 箏 (chˠɛŋ, “zither”)^[3])
Book Pahlavi script: (cng /⁠čang⁠/)
- Classical Persian: چنگ (čang)
  - → Arabic: جَنْك (jank), جُنْك (junk)
  - → Azerbaijani: çəng
  - → Burmese: စောင်း (caung:)
  - → Georgian: ჩანგი (čangi)
  - → Pashto: چنگ (“čang”)
  - → Ottoman Turkish: چنگ (çenk, çeng)
    - Turkish: çenk, çeng
- → Arabic: صَنْج (ṣanj)
→? Sogdian: (“harp, lyre”) (or ← Turkic *čingar,^[4] though unattested)
Manichaean script: 𐫝𐫏𐫗𐫃𐫡𐫏𐫀 (cyngryʾ), 𐫝𐫗𐫃𐫡𐫏𐫀 (cngryʾ /⁠čingaryā, čangaryā⁠/)

References

^ Noonan, Benjamin J. (2019) Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact (Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic; 14), University Park, Pennsylvania: Eisenbrauns, →ISBN
^ Harry A., Hoffner Jr., Melchert, H. Craig (2008) A Grammar of the Hittite Language‎, volume Part 1: Reference Grammar, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, page 57
^ Laufer, Berthold (1919) Sino-Iranica: Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated plants and products (Fieldiana, Anthropology; 15), volume 3, Chicago: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, page 565
^ Gharib, B. (1995) “cyngryʾ”, in Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian–Persian–English, Tehran: Farhangan Publications, page 132

[1] Noonan, Benjamin J. (2019) Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact (Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic; 14), University Park, Pennsylvania: Eisenbrauns, →ISBN

[2] Harry A., Hoffner Jr., Melchert, H. Craig (2008) A Grammar of the Hittite Language‎, volume Part 1: Reference Grammar, Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, page 57

[3] Laufer, Berthold (1919) Sino-Iranica: Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated plants and products (Fieldiana, Anthropology; 15), volume 3, Chicago: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, page 565

[4] Gharib, B. (1995) “cyngryʾ”, in Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian–Persian–English, Tehran: Farhangan Publications, page 132

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