なり as an archaic 'to be'?


In the following saying:

> 時は金なり。

What exactly is なり? My dictionaries seem to give a number of different options
that could all explain its use here.

Is it 成る? Is it 也, an archaic version of です or ある? If so, does that mean that
in the past, Japanese verbs did not all end in the う-sound?




> What exactly is なり?

It is a conjugable suffix (助動詞). It attaches to the attributive (連体形), a
substantive, or an uninflected adjective. It expresses designation (指定) or
predication (断定). It is basically equivalent to である or だ. You may consider it
a copula.

As a conjugable suffix, it has multiple forms: nar-a, nar-i / ni, nar-i,
nar-u, nar-e, nar-e. Etymologically, it is a contraction of particle ni + verb
ar-.

> Is it なる?

As indicated above, nar-u is the attributive form of the suffix nar-. However,
you are probably asking if it is the verb 成る, and the answer is no; it is a
suffix as explained above.

> Is it 也, an archaic version of です or ある?

Yes.

> If so, does that mean that in the past, Japanese verbs did not all end in
> the う-sound?

If by end in -u you are referring to the basic conclusive form (終止形), then
yes. The verb ar- in conclusive form is ar-u (ある) is modern Japanese, but it
was ar-i (あり) historically while the attributive form (連体形) was ar-u (ある). And
as indicated above, this nar- is a contraction of particle ni + verb ar- so
has a conclusive form of nar-i.

Note that there is also a hearsay or inference nar-i as well. This is a
different word and attaches to the conclusive form rather than the
attributive. Do not confuse these two. Here is a well-known example using both
nar-.

男もすなる日記といふものを、女もしてみむ、とて、するなり。 "A woman, too, will try her hand at the diaries
that men are said to write." (From Tosa Nikki, c. 935)

Notice that the first nar-u attaches to su, which is the conclusive form of
the verb, so it is a hearsay nar-. And the nar-i at the end of the sentence
attaches to suru, which is the attributive form of the same verb su, so this
is the predicative copula.




> What exactly is なり?

It is a conjugable suffix (助動詞). It attaches to the attributive (連体形), a
substantive, or an uninflected adjective. It expresses designation (指定) or
predication (断定). It is basically equivalent to である or だ. You may consider it
a copula.

As a conjugable suffix, it has multiple forms: nar-a, nar-i / ni, nar-i,
nar-u, nar-e, nar-e. Etymologically, it is a contraction of particle ni + verb
ar-.

> Is it なる?

As indicated above, nar-u is the attributive form of the suffix nar-. However,
you are probably asking if it is the verb 成る, and the answer is no; it is a
suffix as explained above.

> Is it 也, an archaic version of です or ある?

Yes.

> If so, does that mean that in the past, Japanese verbs did not all end in
> the う-sound?

If by end in -u you are referring to the basic conclusive form (終止形), then
yes. The verb ar- in conclusive form is ar-u (ある) is modern Japanese, but it
was ar-i (あり) historically while the attributive form (連体形) was ar-u (ある). And
as indicated above, this nar- is a contraction of particle ni + verb ar- so
has a conclusive form of nar-i.

Note that there is also a hearsay or inference nar-i as well. This is a
different word and attaches to the conclusive form rather than the
attributive. Do not confuse these two. Here is a well-known example using both
nar-.

男もすなる日記といふものを、女もしてみむ、とて、するなり。 "A woman, too, will try her hand at the diaries
that men are said to write." (From Tosa Nikki, c. 935)

Notice that the first nar-u attaches to su, which is the conclusive form of
the verb, so it is a hearsay nar-. And the nar-i at the end of the sentence
attaches to suru, which is the attributive form of the same verb su, so this
is the predicative copula.

