Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/rV-ŋil

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

Reconstruction

  • Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *rnyil/snyil (Coblin, 1986)
    • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *r/s-nil (Matisoff, 2003; STEDT)

The initial nasal of this word is not very stable in place of articulation. In Tamangic and Burmish, the nasal is a velar nasal, while in other branches the nasal is palatal or alveolar.

Hill (2019:241) reconstructs the proto-final as *-rl. He also places the word in the *u vowel category, but a *i ~ *jə alternation could also plausibly account for the vowel discrepancy. Hill claims on page 207 that Jacques rejects comparison to the Chinese word due to difficulties with the root vowel.

The open syllable in Kuki-Chin is irregular, if it is even the same word; Kuki-Chin normally preserves final liquid consonants.

Noun

*rV-ŋil

  1. gum (flesh around teeth)

Descendants

  • Chinese: 齦 / 龈 (MC ngj+n) (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Bodish: *rŋʲil
    • Tibetic
      • Tibetan: རྙིལ (rnyil), སྙིལ (snyil)
    • Dakpa-Dzala
      • ⇒ Dzala: དབའ་ནེ ('wane)
    • East Bodish
      • Kurtöp: ནཱེ́ ('nê)
  • Proto-Tamangic: *ᴬŋil
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Pela: ŋɛ⁵⁵
  • >? Proto-Kuki-Chin: *ha-(h)nii
  • ⇒ Karbi: soni
  • Greater Magaric
    • Chepang: नल्
  • ⇒ Lepcha: ᰑᰨᰉᰬᰯ (fonyel)
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