PA, PNI, PI, MSV, etc. "bow"

[David Costa]

Well, Proto-Algonquian had a reconstructible term for "bow", a couple 
actually, but the situation isn't totally straightforward. One is
exemplified by PA */me?tekwa:pyi/, which is transparently 'wood string' or
'tree string'. This is found throughout the Central and Plains languages,
but NOT Cree or Eastern Algonquian. It reconstructs quite cleanly.

The semantic transparency (and odd geographic distribution) of this term
makes me suspect it's a neologism, tho at a late Proto-Algonquian or
immediate post-Proto-Algonquian phase. Maybe the word was created in late
post-PA time when they first acquired bows.

The other main term for the concept can be reconstructed variously as PA
*/a?ca:pyi/ (usually 'bowstring') or */a?ta:pya/ 'bow' (the form found in
Eastern). That has that same 'string' final as */me?tekwa:pyi/, but the
front half is unfamiliar. That one *is* found in Eastern Algonquian (and
Central), but it has several unresolved phonological glitches in the
daughter languages. The fact that it doesn't reconstruct cleanly and that it
has an odd geographic distribution means it's probably not a normal
Proto-Algonquian etymon either, like it was formed later in the post-PA
period and passed around the family after the languages were already
dialectally differentiated.

However, Proto-Algonquian does have a totally reconstructible form for
'arrow' (when possessed): PA */ni:pi/ 'my arrow', */ki:pi/ 'your arrow',
*/wi:pi/ 'his arrow', etc. It's found throughout the family. The basic stem
is PA */-i:p-/, which is not internally analyzable and looks quite old.

If bows & arrows were introduced after PA started to break up, then this
word was probably already in the language. If so, it might have meant
something else originally and then shifted its meaning to 'arrow'. That is,
it would have originally designated whatever kind of weapon-projectile it
was that arrows superceded. Darts?

Dave


> Proto-Algonquian seems to have that, since it has a reconstructible term for
> "bow" and PA has been suggested to be on the order of 2000 years old. (Is that
> right, Dave?).
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