butterfly

[R. Rankin]

> The question is, of course, whether the
Omaha-Ponca form is in any way
> connected.  The -tti- part isn't, of course,
because tt < *ht, not *t.
> However, *R merges with *t in Osage, Kaw, and
Quapaw, and *R becomes n in
> OP.  So the PDh form might be *RiNdha,
potentially yielding *nidha in OP.
> In this context, the ...ninikka part might be
relevant.  -nikka is
> 'person, man' in compounds.  I don't think it
occurs alone in OP.

Seeing /nikka/ as 'man' can be misleading.  One
has to account for such oddities as Quapaw /ppiza
nikka/ 'lizard' (possibly 'dry fellow', but that's
a stretch), /ttitta nikka/ 'blue jay', and
/z^aNnikka/ 'gnat'.  Then there's Kansa /hazu
nikka/ 'black [long stemmed] grape', /nikkaphe/
'comb', /wakkuje nikka/ 'kind of lark'.

Dakotan looks like it might be at least partly
borrowed from Algonquian too, then.

Bob