Proto-Kam–Sui language

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Proto-Kam–Sui
Reconstruction of Kam–Sui languages
Region South China
Reconstructed
ancestor

Proto-Kam–Sui (typically abbreviated as PKS) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Kam–Sui languages.

Contents

Reconstructions

A preliminary reconstruction of Proto-Kam–Sui has been published by Graham Thurgood (1988). [1] Ostapirat (1994a, 1994b) addressed issues such as breathiness and preglottalized nasals in Proto-Kam-Sui. [2] [3] Ostapirat (2006) also proposed that presyllables in Proto-Kam–Sui had contrastive accent. [4]

Another reconstruction of Proto-Kam–Sui, mostly based on Thurgood's reconstruction, was proposed by Ilia Peiros as part of his reconstruction of Tai-Kadai, which was done without taking the Kra languages into account. [5]

A new reconstruction of Proto-Kam–Sui is currently being undertaken by Peter K. Norquest. [6] Norquest (2021) reconstructs velarized consonantal onsets and retroflexes such as *ɭ in Proto-Kam–Sui. [7]

History

Liang & Zhang (1996) [8] consider western Guangdong to be the original homeland of Proto-Kam–Sui. According to Liang & Zhang (1996:25–29), based on evidence from Chinese written historical records, Kam-Sui languages were originally spoken in western Guangdong, but Kam-Sui peoples later started to migrate out of Guangdong during the Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty (from the years 600–800). Sui and Maonan migrations were completed by the Song dynasty, around the years 1000–1100, while the Lakkia migrated to their current location in Guangxi from Huaiji County and Fengkai County, Guangdong during the beginning of the Ming dynasty (years 1300–1400). [8]

Lexicon

Thurgood's (1988: 209–218) reconstructed Proto-Kam–Sui forms are listed below.

Comparison with Proto-Tai

Some Proto-Kam-Sui lexical items are cognate with Proto-Tai but differ in proto-tone. [7]

GlossProto-Kam-Sui Proto-Tai
‘pig’*qʰ-muːh*m̥uː
‘rat’*hnɔːʔ*n̥uː
‘long’*ʔraːjʔ*rɯj

The reconstructions above are those of Norquest (2021). [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kra–Dai languages</span> Language family of mainland Southeast Asia

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The Kam–Tai languages, also called Dong–Tai or Zhuang–Dong in China, are a proposed primary branch of the Kra–Dai language family. However, since the 2000s in China, the names Dong–Tai and Zhuang–Dong have been used to refer to the entire Kra–Dai language family, including the Kra languages, due to the extensive documentation and comparative work done on Kra languages in China starting from the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kam–Sui peoples</span>

The Kam–Sui peoples are a group of related ethnic groups in China and neighboring portions of Northern Laos and Vietnam. They are defined as speakers of Kam–Sui languages, which belong linguistically to the Kra–Dai languages.

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Proto-Mienic or Proto-Yao is the reconstructed ancestor of the Mienic languages.

References

  1. ↑ Thurgood, Graham. 1988. "Notes on the reconstruction of Proto-Kam–Sui." In Jerold A. Edmondson and David B. Solnit (eds.), Comparative Kadai: Linguistic studies beyond Tai, 179–218. Summer Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics, 86. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington.
  2. ↑ Ostapirat, Weera. 1994a. Speculations on Proto-Kam-Sui breathy sounds. Kadai 4:79–87.
  3. ↑ Ostapirat, Weera. 1994b. Two series of Proto-Kam-Sui preglottalized nasals. Kadai 4:89–92.
  4. ↑ Ostapirat, Weera. (2006). Alternation of tonal series and the reconstruction of Proto-Kam-Sui Archived 2021-06-13 at the Wayback Machine . In D.-A. Ho et al. (Eds.), Linguistics Studies in Chinese and Neighboring Languages (pp. 1077–1121). Taipei: Academia Sinica. (ling.sinica.edu.tw(PDF). 2019-12-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20210613073343/http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/Files/LL/Docments/Monographs/Linguistics%20Studies%20in%20Chinese%20and%20Neighboring%20Languages/Volume%202/51-Ostapirat.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2023-04-27.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help))
  5. ↑ Peiros, Ilia, 1998. "Comparative Linguistics in Southeast Asia", Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.
  6. ↑ Reconstructing Language Change and Variation. Award #1461492, National Science Foundation.
  7. 1 2 3 Norquest, Peter (2021). "Classification of (Tai-)Kadai/Kra-Dai languages". The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia. De Gruyter. pp. 225–246. doi:10.1515/9783110558142-013. ISBN   9783110558142. S2CID   238672319.
  8. 1 2 Liang Min 梁敏 & Zhang Junru 张均如. 1996. Dongtai yuzu gailun 侗台语族概论 / An introduction to the Kam–Tai languages. Beijing: China Social Sciences Academy Press 中国社会科学出版社. ISBN   9787500416814
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