< Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan

Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/b-sej

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.
 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: *bsɨd (Coblin, 1986)
    • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *b-sey (Matisoff, STEDT)

Chinese 犀 (OC *sliːl, “rhinoceros”) possibly descends from this root, although the presence of the lateral segment, *-lˁ- (B-S) or *-l- (ZS), after the initial *s- remains unexplained.

Schuessler (2007) considers it an areal word, also attested in Mon-Khmer languages, e.g. Khmer សេះ (seh) and Mon ချေံ (chɛh), from Proto-Mon-Khmer *ʔseh (“horse”). See also Proto-Mon-Khmer *mraŋ (“horse”), compared with Proto-Sino-Tibetan *k-m-raŋ ~ s-raŋ (“horse”), for a similar case.

Noun

*b-sej

  1. rhinoceros

Descendants
  • Old Chinese: 犀 /*s.lˤəj/ (B-S), /*sliːl/ (ZS) (“rhinoceros”)
    • Middle Chinese: 犀 (sej) (/sei/) (“rhinoceros”)

      → Japanese: 犀 (さい, ​sai)
      Korean: 서 (犀, seo)
      Vietnamese: tê (犀)

      • Mandarin:
        • Beijing: 犀 (xī) /ɕi⁵⁵/
      • Cantonese:
        • Guangzhou-Hong Kong: 犀 /sɐi̯⁵⁵/
    • Min:
      • Coastal Min:
        • Min Nan:
          • Hokkien:
            • Xiamen: 犀 /sai⁴⁴/ (vernacular), /se⁴⁴/ (literary)
  • Himalayish
    • Tibeto-Kanauri
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