Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s-naːj ~ s-nej

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: *nyɨy (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *s-naːy ⪤ *s-ney (Matisoff, STEDT); *ney (Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987; Chou, 1972)

Adjective

*s-naːj ~ s-nej

1. to be near, close

Descendants

• Old Chinese: 邇 / 迩 (*neʔ (B-S); *njelʔ (ZS)); 昵 (*nrit (B-S); *nig (ZS))
  • Middle Chinese: 邇 / 迩 (ȵiᴇX); 昵 (ɳɣiɪt)
    • Modern Mandarin:
      • Beijing: 邇 / 迩 (ěr, “near”) (ěr, /ˀɤɻ²¹³/); 昵 (“close, intimate; relatives”) (nì, /ni⁵¹/)
• Himalayish:
  • Tibeto-Kanauri:
    • Bodic:
      • Tibetan:
        • Written: Tibetan: ཉེ་བ (nye ba, “near”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi:
  • Lolo-Burmese:
    • Burmish:
      • Written: Burmese: နီး (ni:, “near”)