🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
まーすん : maasun | define meaning
maasun
Pronunciation: [maːsuŋ̍]
Definition
Verb
- To die; to perish; to pass away
Etymology
Cognate with Amami (Naze) もりすん morisun; Amami (Imazato) mooris(ï)-; Amami (Yuwan) もーしゅい mooshui; Tokunoshima もーいせぃ mooisï; Okinoerabu もいしゅん moishun; Okinawan (Shuri) まーすん maasun; Miyako まーすｽﾞ maasɿ ~ maasz; Tarama-Minna まーらすん maarasun; Yaeyama (Funauki) maaras-; Yaeyama (Shiraho) maroor-; Yaeyama (Kuroshima) mairas-; Yaeyama (Hatoma) まーらすん maarasun; Yonaguni まいるん mairun and まいすん maisun "to pass away, to die". Likely cognate to standard Japanese まわる【回る】 mawaru "to turn" and まわす【回す】 mawasu "to [go] around, to turn, to rotate".
In Shuri Okinawan, the compound けーまーすん keemaasun "to pass away, to die" is also recorded.
Reconstructions:
- Zachary Read (2023) tentatively reconstructs *mawari 'turn' + *s- 'to do', but notes that some varieties may reflect *mawas- instead.
- The Hatoma dialect database (鳩間方言音声語彙DB) suggests, for Hatoma, a connection to Old Japanese まかり【罷り】 makari, which was used as a euphemism for dying, and proposes the sound change *makari → * mahari → *maari and the addition of the verb すん sun "to do".
Discussion:
- The vowel difference in Northern Ryukyuan suggests *Cawa-. The connection to Japanese まわる【回る】 mawaru "to turn" and まわす【回す】 mawasu is based on Yuwan Amami and Miyako, where the verb "to turn" is phonologically the same.
- The reconstruction of *mawari 'to turn' + *s- 'to do' is enticing based on the number of varietal forms with -r-. However, further research is needed to determine (1) why certain varieties like Okinawan don't result in *maaisun, (2) whether the different forms represent different reflexes of both *mawar- and *mawas-, and (3) what the transitive and intransitive forms of 'to turn' in each variety look like.
- In The Honorific Forms of the Imazato Dialect in Amami, Northern Ryukyuan (2017), Hiromi Shigeno notes that the Imazato equivalent moori "to pass away" is never used on its own, but requires the auxiliary verb s(ï)- "to do".
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | まーすん |
| Romanization | maasun |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [maːsuŋ̍] |
Verb Paradigm
|
|
|
Imperfective |
Perfective |
Negative |
Negative Perfective |
|
Indicative |
PRED |
maasun |
maachan |
maasan |
maasantan |
|
ATT |
maasuru |
maacharu |
|||
|
Progressive |
PRED |
maachoon |
maachootan |
maacheewuran |
maacheewurantan |
|
ATT |
maachooru |
maachootaru |
|||
|
Causative |
PRED |
maasasun |
maasachan |
maasasan |
maasasantan |
|
ATT |
maasasuru |
maasacharu |
|||
|
Passive and Potential |
PRED |
maasariyun, |
maasaritan, |
maasariran, |
maasarirantan, |
|
ATT |
maasariyuru, |
maasaritaru, |
|||
|
Causative-Passive |
PRED |
maasasariyun, |
maasasaritan |
maasasariran |
maasasarirantan |
|
ATT |
maasasariyuru, |
maasasariraru |
|||
|
Intransitivizing resultative (For transitive verbs only) |
PRED |
maacheen |
maacheetan |
maacheeneen |
maacheeneentan |
|
ATT |
maacheeru |
maacheetaru |
|||
|
Preparatory |
PRED |
maachoochun |
maachoochan |
maacheeukan |
maacheeukantan |
|
ATT |
maachoochuru |
maachoocharu |
|
Form |
Construction |
|
Root |
maas- |
|
Dictionary |
maasun |
|
Attributive or Adnominal |
maasuru |
|
Apocopated (indicative imperfective) |
maasu- |
|
Adverbial |
maashi |
|
Volitional-Presumptive |
maasa |
|
Conjunctive |
maachi |
|
Representative |
maachai |
|
Imperative |
maashi, |
|
Conditional |
maashee |
|
Form |
Construction |
|
Conjecture |
maasuru haji |
|
So as to... |
maasuru gutu |
|
Before... |
maasuru mee |
|
While... |
maasuru qweeda, maasuru-qweema |
|
Purpose |
maasuru tami ni |
|
Form |
Construction |
|
Request |
maachi-kwimisooree |
|
Benefactive |
maachi-kwiin |
|
Completive |
maachi-neen |
|
Concessive conditional |
maachi-n |
|
After... |
maachi-kara |
|
After... |
maachi-atu |
|
Form |
|
Imperfective |
Perfective |
Negative |
Negative perfective |
|
Desiderative |
PRED |
maashi-busan |
maashi-busantan |
maashi-bushikoo neen, maashi-bushikoo neeran |
maashi-bushikoo neentan, maashi-bushikoo neerantan |
|
ATT |
maashi-busaru |
maashi-busataru |
|||
|
Easy to... |
PRED |
maashi-yassan |
maashi-yassantan |
maashi-yashikoo neen, maashi-yashikoo neeran |
maashi-yashikoo neentan, maashi-yashikoo neerantan |
|
ATT |
maashi-yassaru |
maashi-yassataru |
|||
|
Hard to... |
PRED |
maashi-gurisan |
maashi-gurisantan |
maashi-gurikoo neen, maashi-gurikoo neeran |
maashi-gurikoo neentan, maashi-gurikoo neerantan |
|
ATT |
maashi-gurisaru |
maashi-gurisataru |
|
Form |
|
Imperfective |
Perfective |
Negative |
Negative perfective |
|
Exalting |
PRED |
maashi-misheen |
maashi-misheentan |
maashi-misooran |
maashi-misoorantan |
|
ATT |
maashi-misheeru |
maashi-misheetaru, |
|
Form |
Construction |
|
While (simultaneously)... |
maashi-gachii |
|
Form |
Construction |
|
Reported past |
maasu-tan |
|
Nominalizing |
maasu-shi |
|
Concessive |
maasu-shiga |
|
Cause-effect |
maasu-kutu |
|
Prohibitive |
maasu-na |
|
Provisional conditional |
maasu-raa |
|
Questions |
maasu-ga |
|
Form |
|
Imperfective |
Perfective |
Negative |
Negative perfective |
|
Polite |
PRED |
maasabiyun, |
maasabitan |
maasabiran |
maasabirantan |
|
ATT |
maasabiyuru, |
maasabitaru |
|||
|
Polar questions |
PRED |
maashumi |
maachii |
maasani |
maasantii |
Verb paradigms are based off several sources including, but not limited to:
- Funatsu, Yoshiaki. (1988). 美しい沖縄の方言①. [Utsukushii Okinawa no kotoba 1]. ISBN4-905784-19-0.
- Sakihara, Mitsugu. (2006). Okinawan-English Wordbook. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. ISBN: 0824831020.
- Shizato, Rumiko and Iwasaki, Shoichi. (2024). Basic Okinawan: From Conversation to Grammar. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. ISBN: 9780824893651.
意味：しぬ【死ぬ】、なくなる【亡くなる】