Proto-Hadza : *hac̣a
Meaning : leaf
Hadza : hatsápe "leaf", hišepe "leaves" (B.); ha-ts'a (E.); háts'aphi (S.); háts'a-phìphì "leaves" (Tc.)
Notes : Given the very frequent connection 'ear' <> 'leaf' in African languages, it is hard to separate these forms from (ha)-šʔapič̣i 'ear'. The latter, in fact, looks like a suffixal derivative from the former with subsequent assimilation: *hac̣a-pi- + *-č̣i > *hac̣apič̣i > *hašʔapič̣i. On the other hand, this would presuppose that 'ear' is semantically derived from 'leaf', when normally the reverse would be expected. Yet it also may be that *hac̣a- was originally 'ear' as well as 'leaf', and the suffixal extension was a later addition.
