Andrew Hsiu
May 2018
Please cite as: Hsiu, Andrew. 2018. Some Proto-rGyalrongic reconstructions. <https://sites.google.com/site/msealangs/home/blog/proto-rgyalrongic>.
Please note that this is a working draft that will be periodically updated.
Here are 112 of my preliminary Proto-rGyalrongic reconstructions, based on data from:
Nagano, Yasuhiko and Prins, Marielle (eds.). 2013. rGyalrongic Languages Database. Minpaku. http://htq.minpaku.ac.jp/databases/rGyalrong/
Proto-rGyalrongic is an elegant marvel. It may be one of the most conservative reconstructable Sino-Tibetan meso-languages. It is clear that a reconstruction of Proto-Sino-Tibetan would definitely need to take Proto-rGyalrongic into account, since Proto-Sino-Tibetan morphology, phonology, and lexicon would have looked very similar to those of Proto-rGyalrongic. In order to understand how reflexes of highly eroded eastern Sino-Tibetan languages had gotten to where they are from Proto-Sino-Tibetan, it is crucial to consider Proto-rGyalrongic.
Phonotactics
Proto-rGyalrongic has many sesquisyllables (minor syllables). Some consonant clusters are part of the main syllable; these are different from sesquisyllables that are separated by syllable boundaries.
Morphology
The prefixes *t.- and *k.- are the most common ones. *k.- generally tends to be used with numerals, animals, intransitive verbs, and some adjectives. *t.- tends to be used with body parts and some nouns. However, *k.- is also used for some body parts, and *t.- is also used for some numerals and animals. Fricatives and nasals can precede consonants to form consonant clusters.
Some body parts are prefixed with *t.r-:
*t.rkʰom ‘wing’
*t.rnaʔ ‘ear’
*t.rnok ‘brain’
Some body parts are prefixed with *t.ʃ-:
*t.ʃba ‘cheek’
*t.ʃci ‘urine’
*t.ʃmje ‘tongue’
*t.ʃna ‘nose’
*t.ʃnje ‘heart’
List of reconstructions
*(t)s.la ‘moon’
*cem ‘house’
*ə.jo ‘he, she (3.SG)’
*k.cap ‘bitter’
*k.cor ‘sour’
*k.ɣju ‘fish’
*k.jak ‘thick’
*k.ki ‘buy’
*k.mbat, k.wat ‘near’
*k.mŋu, k.mŋa ‘five’
*k.mot; *k.tʰi ‘drink’
*k.mpar ‘sell’
*k.na.mnam; *k.na.ksəC.ksəC ‘smell (v.)’
*k.na.ri ‘laugh’
*k.nak ‘black’
*k.ndzaʔ ‘eat’
*k.nis; *t.gu ‘two’
*k.ɲom; *k.kʰiʔ ‘thin’
*k.ŋa.kru ‘cry, weep’
*k.ŋgu ‘nine’
*k.pli, k.βde ‘four’
*k.po.stsa ‘mosquito’
*k.pri ‘snake’
*k.prom ‘white’
*k.rcʰe ‘far’
*k.rman ‘sleep’
*k.ʃna ‘spider’
*k.ʃnis ‘seven’
*k.sum ‘three’
*k.trok ‘six’
*k.tsaʔ; *t.no ‘grass’
*k.tsu ‘monkey’
*k.wa.ntrok; *k.m.ʃtak; *k.rkʰu ‘cold’
*k.zar; *k.rɲam; *mɲan.goŋ ‘river’
*k.βjam ‘fly, to’
*ka.ncʰa ‘kill’
*ka.rwa ‘dig’
*kʰa.li ‘wind’
*kʰji; *k.naʔ; *k.ta ‘dog’
*kʰuŋ ‘tiger’
*m.tok, t.pat ‘flower’
*mba.bu ‘bee’
*mbo lej; *n.ŋa ‘cattle, cow’
*mbras ‘rice (grain)’
*mdza.ji ‘flea’
*ndʒuk ‘bamboo’
*noʔ ‘thou (2.SG)’
*ŋa ‘I (1.SG)’
*p(w)ak ‘pig’
*p.gom ‘egg’
*p.tsje ‘bird’
*r.gu; *d(ʒ).lok; *prak 'rock' ‘stone’
*rŋa.ma; *taj.me; *waj.mik ‘tail’
*ʃ.mɲak; *k.pjek ‘bow’
*ʃ.ru ‘bone’
*ʃa; *t.mtʰam ‘meat, flesh’
*ʃam ‘iron’
*sar.pa; *k.ʃək ‘new’
*sar; *srak ‘louse’
*stok ‘bean’
*ʃtri; *sʁa ‘ten’
*t.ci; *ɣ.rə ‘water’
*t.jak ‘hand’
*t.ju, t.rŋa ‘face’
*t.kap ‘needle’
*t.kʰa; *t.mcʰi; *t.ɣmor ‘mouth’
*t.kʰuʔ ‘smoke’
*t.kuʔ ‘head’
*t.mi ‘female’
*t.mi, t.mcik ‘fire’
*t.mjeʔ ‘foot, leg’
*t.mki ‘neck’
*t.mɲa ‘field’
*t.mɲak ‘eye’
*t.mor; *ʃ.war, sar ‘night’
*t.mu ‘sky’
*t.mu; *c.rnak ‘rain’
*t.ndri ‘skin’
*t.nu ‘breast’
*t.ŋi ‘sun’
*t.pje; *a.ko ‘year’
*t.pok.cʰi(k) ‘navel’
*t.pʃje ‘feces, excrement’
*t.pu ‘child’
*t.rgei; *k.tek ‘one’
*t.rkʰom ‘wing’
*t.rmi ‘human, person’
*t.rmje ‘name’
*t.rmo ‘dream’
*t.rnaʔ ‘ear’
*t.rnok ‘brain’
*t.rpje; *t.tro ‘earth’
*t.ʃba ‘cheek’
*t.ʃci; *t.bri ‘urine’
*t.ʃi ‘blood’
*t.ʃi ‘fruit’
*t.ʃis ‘die’
*t.ʃmje ‘tongue’
*t.ʃna ‘nose’
*t.ʃni ‘day’
*t.ʃnje ‘heart’
*t.ʃu ‘hair’
*t.swa ‘tooth’
*t.wam; *t.gom ‘bear’
*t.ʒgu ‘boat’
*t.βʃi ‘liver’
*tra.la ‘road’
*ts.ŋgri; *skar.ma ‘star’
*tsʰa ‘salt’
*waj.mjak; *taj.p/wak; *rba.la ‘leaf’
*wo.rjat ‘eight’
*zdem ‘cloud’