Proto-Kui-Kuwi : *a/*ā
Meaning : that (remote)
Kui : a- "that over there"
Kuwi (Fitzgerald) : ā "that most remote"
Notes : There are four main deictic stems in PK: *a-, *i-, *e-, *u-. Of these, *i- is the simplest of all: it is preserved in all the main sources of data (that is, Kui, Kuwi_F and Kuwi_S) and always means 'this'. As for the other ones, all three were preserved in Kui where they seem to retain their original functions: e- as 'that nearer', a- as 'that further' and o- (from *u-) as 'that at the greatest distance'. In Kuwi_F *e- was lost, and the other two shifted meanings: u- 'that intermediate', a- 'that farthest'. In Kuwi_S, instead, *a- was lost, but the other two forms were left intact.
Number in DED : 1