Proto-West-Caucasian: *nV
Meaning: a demonstrative stem
Abkhaz: (a)-ni
Abaza: (a)-ni
Adyghe: na-
Kabardian: na-
Ubykh: n-
Comments: A demonstrative stem, primarily adverbial with far deixis, but also used in some other functions. In AA cf. Abkh. a-ná 'there', a-ni (*a-nǝ-jǝ) 'that' etc.; also used as a preverb na- 'there' (directive). It is possible that the 3d person pronominal prefix n(a)- (in some verbal forms) in Abkh. and Abaz. also goes back to the same root.
In AK the stem has survived only as a preverb *na- (Ad., Kab. na-) with exactly the same functions as in AA. Finally, in Ubykh the only traces of this morpheme are the pronominal prefixes of the 3d person n- (sing.), nā- (plur.), obviously related to the corresponding AA prefix *n(a)-.
