crow > blackbird

noun animal_bird

Proto-Siouan-Catawba

Proto-Siouan *wą

Proto-Mississipi-Valley

Proto-Dhegiha *mą (-krį́xta)

Omaha-Ponca moⁿgthiⁿ´xta , †mągðį́xta ‘red winged blackbird’ MAS:18

Kanza/Kaw mąlíxta ‘crow, blackbird’ JOD

Quapaw mą ‘crow’ RR, JOD , mąkdíxtą ‘blackbird’ JOD

Proto-Southeastern

Proto-Biloxi-Ofo *ąčka

Biloxi aⁿtcká, aⁿtcka , †ąčká ‘crow’ D&S:178b

Ofo oⁿ´cka , †ą́ška ‘crow’ D&S:328a

General comment

The Kanza/Kaw term is shared with the other DH languages where it refers to the red winged blackbird. Quapaw alone among the DH languages permits mą as a free standing word. Since Biloxi and Ofo typically lose initial labial resonants, given the semantics and the DH cognates, reconstruction of initial *w here seems well justified.

Language Cognate Phonetic Siouan Meaning Comment Sources