Where does “na-” come from?
na- (Big Nambas) comes from Proto-Oceanic api, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian api, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *apuy, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian hapuy, from Proto-Austronesian Sapuy — fire.
na- (Big Nambas): The noun article. Added to nouns and verb stems to affirm nominal use. Has an element of definiteness. Also used in derivation
Definitions
- The noun article. Added to nouns and verb stems to affirm nominal use. Has an element of definiteness. Also used in derivation
Ancestry of “na-”, step by step
na- traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Oceanic api
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Oceanic | api | fire |
| 2 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | api | fire |
| 3 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *apuy | fire oxidation reaction |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | hapuy | fire |
| 5 | Proto-Austronesian | Sapuy | fire |
via Proto-Oceanic na
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Oceanic | na | — |