Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/tsik

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: *tsik (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *tsik (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Coblin, 1986; Chou, 1972)

Several Sino-Tibetan languages, including Burmese (ဆစ် (hcac, “to chop, cut off”)) and Chinese (切 (OC *sn̥ʰiːds, *sn̥ʰiːd, “to cut”)), have a similar-souding root meaning "to chop, cut"; said "cut" root appears to be related to *tsik via semantic extension. For a semantic parallel in an unrelated language, compare English section and segment, both from a root meaning "to cut".

Noun

*tsik

1. joint, section

Verb

*tsik

1. to cut, chop

Descendants

• Old Chinese: 節／节 (*tsˁik ("B-S"), *ʔsiːg (ZS), “joint, knot, mode, section; period, festival”), 膝 (*s-tsik ("B-S"), *siɡ (ZS), “knee”)
  • Middle Chinese: 節／节 (jié) /tset/, 膝 /sit/

**:

→ Japanese: 節 (せつ, ​setsu)
Korean: 절 (節, jeol)
Vietnamese: tiết (節)

• • → Vietnamese: tết (“festival”), Tết (“Vietnamese New Year”)

**:

→ Japanese: 膝 (しつ, ​shitsu)
Korean: 슬 (膝, seul)
Vietnamese: tất (膝)

• • • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 節／节 (jié) (jié, /t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/), 膝 (xī, qī)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: ཚིགས (tshigs, “joint, junction, link; verse line”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese

    *ʔdzik ⪤ *ʔdzak (“joint”) (Matisoff, 1972); *ʔ-dzikᴸ (Matisoff, 2003)

    • Burmish
      • Burmese: ဆစ် (hcac, “to chop, to cut off; joint”) (> အဆစ် (a.hcac, “joint, node”))
    • Loloish

      *C-dzikᴸ (Bradley, 1979)

      • Northern Loloish
        • Yi (Liangshan): ꊨ (zyt, “joint, section; to fasten or join pieces together”)
      • Central Loloish
        • Lisu (Southern): ꓝꓲꓸ (tsɨ́, “joint, joist, house stud; time, season”)

See also

• *s-dzak (“to join”)