# لكن
## Arabic
### Etymology

Uncertain. Bravmann proposes an origin in إِلَّا كَانَ (ʔillā kāna, “except that [it/he] were”), but does not provide a convincing explanation for the contraction of the ā or for the suspicious similarity to أَنْ (ʔan) and أَنَّ (ʔanna) in the alternation of the ending.

### Etymology 1.1
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /laː.kin.na/

#### Conjunction

لٰكِنَّ • (lākinna)
* but, however

##### Usage notes

* لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) functions like إِنَّ (ʔinna) and أَنَّ (ʔanna), shifting the subject of the subordinate clause to the accusative case. The subject of the subordinate clause must immediately follow لٰكِنَّ (lākinna); if it is a pronoun, it must be expressed. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنْ (lākin) below.
    لٰكِنَّ الرَّئِيسَ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاسlākinna r-raʔīsa kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nāsbut the president was smarter than people expected
    لٰكِنَّهُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاسlākinnahu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nāsbut he was smarter than people expected

##### See also

* (ʔinna and her sisters) إِنَّ وَأَخَوَاتُهَا (ʔinna wa-ʔaḵawātuhā); إِنَّ (ʔinna), أَنَّ (ʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), كَأَنَّ (kaʔanna), لِأَنَّ (liʔanna), لٰكِنَّ (lākinna), لَعَلَّ (laʕalla), لَيْتَ (layta),

### Etymology 1.2
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /laː.kin/

#### Conjunction

لٰكِنْ • (lākin)
* but, however
* but, rather
    Synonym: بَلْ (bal)
    لَمْ يُسَافِرِ الطُّلَابُ لٰكِنْ وَكِيلُهُمْlam yusāfiri ṭ-ṭulābu lākin wakīluhumThe students didn’t travel but their principal did.
* but not, after an affirmative.

##### Usage notes

* لٰكِنْ (lākin) acts as a simple conjunction, with the subject of the subordinate clause in the nominative; the subject may follow immediately or be delayed. If it is a pronoun, it may be omitted. Contrast this syntactic function and the following examples with لٰكِنَّ (lākinna) above.
    لٰكِنِ الرَّئِيسُ كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاسlākini r-raʔīsu kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nāsbut the president was smarter than people expected
    لٰكِنْ (هُوَ) كَانَ أَذْكَى مِمَّا تَوَقَّعَ النَّاسlākin (huwa) kāna ʔaḏkā mimmā tawaqqaʕa n-nāsbut he was smarter than people expected
* لٰكِنْ (lākin) is often preceded by وَـ (wa-, “and”).

##### Derived terms

* وَلٰكِن (wa-lākin)

##### Descendants

* South Levantine Arabic: لاكن (lāken)
* → Classical Persian: لیکِن (lēkin), لَٰکِن (lākin), لَاکِن (lākin)
** Dari: لیکِن (lēkin)
** Iranian Persian: لیکِن (liken) (uncommon)
** Tajik: лекин (lekin)
** → Azerbaijani: lakin
** → Bengali: লেকিন (lekin)
** → Chagatai:
*** Uyghur: لېكىن (lëkin)
*** Uzbek: lekin
** → Hindustani:
    Hindi: लेकिन (lekin)
    Urdu: لیکِن (lekin)
** → Kurdish:
    Central Kurdish: لێکن (lêkin)
    Northern Kurdish: lêkin, lê
** → Punjabi:
    Gurmukhi script: ਲੇਕਿਨ (lekin), ਲੇਕਨ (lekan)
    Shahmukhi script: لیکن (lekin, lekan)
* → Swahili: lakini
* → Ottoman Turkish: لكن (lakin)
** Turkish: lakin

### References

* ↑ Bravmann, Meïr Max (1977) “Arabic lākin(na) and Related Expressions”, in Studies in Semitic Philology (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics; VI), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 338–342

## South Levantine Arabic
### Conjunction

لكن • (lāken)
* Alternative spelling of لاكن (lāken, “but, however”)