Reconstruction talk:Proto-Slavic/slonъ

NB Wiktionary:Etymology scriptorium/2016/April#Burmese_.E1.80.86.E1.80.84.E1.80.BA_.28hcang.2C_.27elephant.27.29, where it is mentioned that some people connect this word and Sino-Tibetan, but "the archaeological and geographical frame for the necessary contacts between Austroasiatic and Slavic speakers during the early Bronze Age, remains a moot question." - -sche (discuss) 04:24, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

SŁOŃ

I think the direction of borrowing is:

Old Chinese -> Chuvash -> (an intermediate language unknown to humans) -> Proto-Slavic

The Turkic word "aslan" (lion) might be a contamination of the word *arsïlan which also meant lion, Old Chinese 象 (pronounced "slaŋ") meaning elephant, and maybe Greek leon.

Some speakers of Proto-Slavic pronounced o as a short A sound. So it sounded something like slŏn or even slăn.

The words in my proposed relation of OC 象 and Proto-Slavic slonъ

Old Chinese: 象 (pronounced "slaŋ")

Chuvash: сӑлан (sălan)

That unknown language I mentioned earlier: sᵊlan

Proto-Slavic: slăn-ъ > slonъ

I am a Green Bee (talk) 07:33, 22 August 2022 (UTC)