Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/k-la

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: ?
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *k-la (Matisoff, STEDT)

Borrowed from Proto-Austroasiatic *kla(ː)ʔ (“tiger”), whence also Thai ขฺลา (khla, “tiger”).

Noun

Panthera tigris corbetti, the Indochinese tiger.

*k-la

1. tiger

Descendants

• Old Chinese: 虎 (*qʰˁraʔ (B-S, western dialect), qʰlaːʔ (ZS), “tiger”), 於菟 / 于菟 (wūtú), 烏䖘 / 乌䖘 (wūtú), 䖘 (*qa-tʰaː < **ʔa-l̥aː < **ʔa- + **klaː (ancient Chu dialect), “tiger”), 於檡 / 于𰗛 (*qa-rlaːɡ < **ʔa-l̥aːg (variant), “tiger”)

  (虎 in the oracle bone script)　

  • Middle Chinese: 虎 (huoX)
    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 虎 (hǔ, /xu²¹⁴/)
    • Cantonese
      • Guangzhou: 虎 /fuː³⁵/
    • Wu
      • Shanghai: 虎 /hɯ³⁴/
  • Min
    • Min Nan
      • Taiwan: 虎 /hɔ⁵¹/

Sino-Xenic (虎):

• → Japanese: 虎(こ) (ko)
• → Korean: 호(虎) (ho)
• → Vietnamese: hổ (虎)

Lolo-Burmese-Naxi

• Lolo-Burmese

  /*(k-)la/ (Benedict, 1972)

  • Burmish
    • Burmic
      • Burmese: ကျား (kya:, “tiger”) (< kla (Inscriptional Burmese)) /tɕá/
    • Maruic
      • Pela: la³¹ (“tiger, leopard”)
  • Loloish
    • Northern Loloish
      • Yi (Liangshan): ꆿ (lat, “tiger”)
    • Central Loloish
      • Lisu (Southern): ꓡꓽ (lɑ̀, “tiger”)
      • Lahu: lâ (“tiger”)