Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/sV-wa

This Proto-Sino-Tibetan entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan

Reconstruction

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
- Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *s-wa ⪤ *p-wa (Matisoff, STEDT); *s-wa (Weidert, 1987; Benedict, 1972; Michailovsky, 1991)

There appears to be no Chinese reflex. Chinese 牙 (yá) is from *d-ŋa (“tusk, tooth”), and 齒 / 齿 (chǐ) is etymologically unclear. There is yet another root *mV-tswaj (“tooth, tusk”).

See Jacques (2013)^[1] for the reconstruction of this word.

Noun

*sV-wa

tooth

Reconstruction notes

The extra alternative *p- pre-initial reconstructed by Matisoff is completely pointless.
Hill reconstructs *so, but that fails to account for Kuki-Chin, Kurtöp, Jingpho and Newar, all of which clearly show an *a.

Descendants

Proto-Bodish: *swa (see there for further descendants)
Newaric
- Newar:
  - Devanagari script: वा (wā)
  - Newa script: 𑐰𑐵 (wā)
rGyalrongic
- West rGyalrongic
  - Horpa
    - Geshiza: ɕə
    - Tangut: 𘘄 (*śjwi¹)
  - Khroskyabs: ɕɥî, fɕî (Wobzi), ɕvî (Guanyinqiao), ɕəvî (Siyuewu)
- East rGyalrongic
  - Japhug: tɯ-ɕɣa
Naic
- Proto-Naish: *swa
  - Naxi: hee (/⁠hɯ³³⁠/)
  - Narua: xie (/⁠hi˥⁠/)
  - Laze: [Term?] (/⁠fi˧tʰu˧⁠/)
Lolo-Burmese
- Burmish
  - Burmese: သွား (swa:, “tooth”)
- Loloish: /*swa²/ (Bradley, 1979)
  - Central Loloish
    - Lolopo (Yao'an): ser (“tooth”)
Boro-Garo
- Garo: wa (“tooth”)
- Atong (India): wa (“tooth”)
Jingpho-Asakian:
- Jingpho: wa (“tooth”)

References

^ Jacques, Guillaume (2013) “On pre-Tibetan semi-vowels”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, volume 76, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 289–300

[1] Jacques, Guillaume (2013) “On pre-Tibetan semi-vowels”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, volume 76, number 2, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 289–300

[1]