Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/m-dz(j)a-k/n/t/s

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

Etymology

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *dzaʔ (Schuessler, 2007)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *m-dz(y)a-k/n/t/s (Matisoff, STEDT); *dzya-n/k (Mortensen, 2012); *dza (Weidert, 1987; Michailovsky, 1991; Benedict, 1972); *dza-n ⪤ dza-k (Matisoff, 1983); *dzɑ (Chou, 1972)

Some consider Chinese 食 to be a reflex of this root; according to the latest reconstructions, 食 and its cognates are probably best listed under *m/s/g-ljak (“to lick”).

Compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *caʔ (“to eat”).

Verb

*s

1. to eat
2. food
3. to feed (?)
4. rice

Descendants

• Old Chinese: 咀 (*ʔsaʔ, zaʔ (ZS), “to taste, to savour”), 飵 / 𫗢 (*zaːg, zaːgs (ZS), “(ancient Chu dialect) to eat”), 餐 (*tsʰˁar (B-S, unlisted), *sʰaːn (ZS), “to eat”)

  (Note: 餐 may alternatively (and perhaps more preferably) be compared with WT འཚལ་བ ('tshal ba, “(archaic) to eat, to fill the belly”), ཚལ་མ (tshal ma, “breakfast”).)

  • Middle Chinese: 咀 (tsɨʌX, dzɨʌX, “to chew”), 飵 / 𫗢 (dzɑk, dzuoH), 餐 (tsʰɑn, “meal”)
    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 咀 (jǔ) (/t͡ɕy²¹⁴/), 餐 (cān) (/t͡sʰan⁵⁵/)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan:

          ཟ (za, “to eat”) (fut. བཟའ (bza'), pf. བཟས (bzas) or ཟོས (zos), imp. ཟོ (zo))

          ཟན (zan, “(cooked) food, dough, porridge”)

          ཟས (zas, “food, meal”)

    • Lepcha: ᰙᰨ (zo, “to eat”)
• Tangut-Qiang
  • rGyalrongic
    • Japhug: ndza (“eat”)
    • Situ: ndza (“eat”)
    • Tshobdun: ⁿdzē (“eat”)
    • Zbu: ⁿdzē ~ ⁿdzī (“eat”)
    • Tangut: 𗡅 (*dzji¹, “eat”)
• Sal
  • Bodo-Koch
    • Bodo-Garo
      • Garo: cha·a
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Burmese: စား (ca:, “to eat, to consume; to erode, to corrode”)
      • Burmese: ဆန် (hcan, “rice”)

• • • Loloish
      • Northern Loloish
        • Yi (Liangshan): ꋠ (zze, “to eat (non-liquid food)”)
  • Naic
    • Namuyi: dzìh (“to eat”)

See also

• *ʔam (“to eat; to drink”)
• *N/s-tuŋ (“to drink; to suckle”)
• *s(j)ok (“breast; to suck; to drink”)
• *m-liŋ ~ m-luŋ (“to drink”)
• *m/s/g-ljak (“to lick; tongue; to eat (of animals); to feed (animals)”)
• *b-ras (“rice”)