dzɨwɨn ʸ nf. elephant éléphant (5 groups, 13 languages) A syn: ᵐbɨlala ʸ, gɨwɨn, nɨvi.
This root is one of several roots for elephant. It is possible cognate with *gɨwɨn, but the two roots would have developed along very different paths. The change *dz→ts in Proto-Margi and Proto-Higi is not known as a regular change, though Proto-Margi did have the change *z→s. There was a regular change *n→r in word-final position in the Margi-Mandara-Mofu major group. There is support for the palatalization prosody in all groups.
1Proto-Bata *dzɨwɨnɨ ʸ elephant éléphant 1.1) Gude (Hoskinson) tʃóonà -ə elephant 1.2) Jimi (Djibi) dʒuunən Eléphant
2Proto-Tera *dzɨwan ʸ elephant éléphant 2.1) Tera (Newman) dʒuwan elephant 2.2) Nyimatli (Harley) ʒuwan elephant 2.3) Gaʼanda (Gwaji) tʃhuwena elephant
3Proto-Sukur *dzɨwan ʸ elephant éléphant 3.1) Sukur (David) dʒuwan elephant 3.2) Sukur (Thomas) dʒiwan elephant; a large animal with thick grey skin, large ears, two curved teeth called tusk and long nose called trunk.
4Proto-Margi *tsɨwar ʸ elephant éléphant 4.1) Bura (Blench) tʃiwar The elephant 4.2) Margi (Hoffman) tʃuwar elephant 4.3) Margi South (Harley) tʃiwar elephant
5Proto-Higi *tsʲɨwɨn elephant éléphant 5.1) Kamwe-Nkafa (Harley) tʃhiwə elephant 5.2) Kamwe-Futu (Harley) tʃhiwe elephant 5.3) Kirya (Blench) tʃùúnə́ elephant 5.4) Bana (Lienhard) tʃìwə̀ éléphant
This root is one of several roots for elephant. It is possible cognate with *gɨwɨn, but the two roots would have developed along very different paths. The change *dz→ts in Proto-Margi and Proto-Higi is not known as a regular change, though Proto-Margi did have the change *z→s. There was a regular change *n→r in word-final position in the Margi-Mandara-Mofu major group. There is support for the palatalization prosody in all groups.
1Proto-Bata *dzɨwɨnɨ ʸ elephant éléphant 1.1) Gude (Hoskinson) tʃóonà -ə elephant 1.2) Jimi (Djibi) dʒuunən Eléphant
2Proto-Tera *dzɨwan ʸ elephant éléphant 2.1) Tera (Newman) dʒuwan elephant 2.2) Nyimatli (Harley) ʒuwan elephant 2.3) Gaʼanda (Gwaji) tʃhuwena elephant
3Proto-Sukur *dzɨwan ʸ elephant éléphant 3.1) Sukur (David) dʒuwan elephant 3.2) Sukur (Thomas) dʒiwan elephant; a large animal with thick grey skin, large ears, two curved teeth called tusk and long nose called trunk.
4Proto-Margi *tsɨwar ʸ elephant éléphant 4.1) Bura (Blench) tʃiwar The elephant 4.2) Margi (Hoffman) tʃuwar elephant 4.3) Margi South (Harley) tʃiwar elephant
5Proto-Higi *tsʲɨwɨn elephant éléphant 5.1) Kamwe-Nkafa (Harley) tʃhiwə elephant 5.2) Kamwe-Futu (Harley) tʃhiwe elephant 5.3) Kirya (Blench) tʃùúnə́ elephant 5.4) Bana (Lienhard) tʃìwə̀ éléphant