Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/s/p-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

Etymology

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 *m-dzjwaj (“tooth, tusk”).

Noun

*p-wa

tooth

Descendants

Jingpho-Luish:
- Jingpho: wa (“tooth”)
Himalayish
- Tibeto-Kanauri
  - Bodic
    - Tibetan
      - Written Tibetan: སོ (so, “tooth”)
    - East Bodish:
      - Kurtöp: ཀྭ (kwa)
Newaric
- Newar:
  - Devanagari script: वा (wā)
  - Newa script: 𑐰𑐵 (wā)
Sal
- Bodo-Garo
  - Garo: wa (“tooth”)
  - Atong (India): wa (“tooth”)
Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
- Lolo-Burmese
  - Burmish
    - Written Burmese: သွား (swa:, “tooth”)
  - Loloish
    /*swa²/ (Bradley, 1979)
    - Central Loloish
      - Lolopo (Yao'an): ser (“tooth”)