Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/d-ŋa

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

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Etymology

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  • Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
    • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *d-ŋa (Matisoff, STEDT)

Other roots for "tooth": *m-dzjwaj, *s-wa ~ p-wa.

Chinese may alternatively be regarded as a loan from an Austroasiatic language (Norman / Mei, 1976; Norman, 1988). Compare Vietnamese ngà (ivory), Mon လ္ၚာပ် ((tə)ŋèp, back tooth, molar) and loanword in Proto-Tai *ŋaːᴬ (tusk, ivory) (whence Thai งา (ngaa), Lao ງາ (ngā)). Pulleyblank (1983) believes Old Chinese was the donor.

Noun

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*d-ŋa

  1. tooth

Descendants

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  • Old Chinese: /*m-ɢˁ‹r›a/ (Baxter-Sagart), /*ŋraː/ (Zhengzhang Shangfang)
    • Middle Chinese: /ŋɣa/
      • Mandarin:
        • Beijing: () /i̯a³⁵/ (tooth)
      • Cantonese:
        • Guangzhou-Hong Kong: (ngaa4) /ŋaː²¹/ (tooth)
  • Kamarupan
    • Kuki-Chin
      • Central Chin: Proto-Central-Chin /*hŋaw/ (fang, canine tooth)