*(r/w)a

SEMEN

Reconstruction analysis

handlerainitialrrhymeacoverL · V

Notes

There is no single widespread root for SEMEN to be reconstructed for PTB, though several promising local candidates are attested here and there. Many forms for this concept are euphemistic (e.g. words that otherwise simply mean ‘water’); many others are compounds of the structure PENIS + WATER (e.g. Tangkhul shaŋ-ra). Other “sementic” associations include SEMEN ⟷ SAP (Akha aˇ dzi˯ means both [Lewis p.35]); SEMEN ⟷ SHIT (Lahu nī-qhɛ̂); SEMEN ⟷ FAT (Lahu nī-chu); SEMEN ⟷ CONTEMPLATION (WT t'ig-le [Jäschke p. 231]). The present root appears in the NE Indian Areal Group, Himalayish, and Qiangic.

Reflexes & cognates12 reflexes · 8 subgroups

1.3.4Tangkhulic3

Tangkhulhai#664 PTB *(h/k)ay ‘VAGINA’PTk *haj ‘VAGINA’◦ra ‘semen’Tangkhul hai ra certainly looks like a case of “genital flipflop”, i.e. semen is viewed as “vagina-semen”, since that is its destination.Lit. “vagina-semen”. This certainly looks like a case of “genital flipflop”, i.e. semen is viewed as “vagina-semen”, since that is its destination.Matisoff 87 BP

Tangkhulpha̱morpheme◦ra ‘semen’Matisoff 87 BP

Tangkhulshaŋmorpheme◦ra ‘semen’Matisoff 87 BP

1.7.1.1Bodo1

Bodopemorpheme◦da ‘semen’The -d- in Bodo da is a plausible intervocalic reflex of *-r-. The name of this language itself is often transcribed as “Boro”. See Bhat 1968.Matisoff 87 BP

2.3.1Eastern Kiranti2

Belharela◦lik#1286 PTB *r-lik ‘TESTICLE / EGG / PENIS’ ‘semen, sperm’Bickel 95

Limbule#1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’MesorootsPL *(n)-li² ‘PENIS’Allofams114 #1285 PTB *m-(l/n)ey ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114a #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114b #545 PTB *m-ney ‘PENIS’◦wā ‘semen’Matisoff 87 BP

2.3.2Southern Kiranti2

Bantawalü#1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’MesorootsPL *(n)-li² ‘PENIS’Allofams114 #1285 PTB *m-(l/n)ey ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114a #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114b #545 PTB *m-ney ‘PENIS’-khü#188 PTB *ku ‘SEMEN / BODY FLUID’-wa ‘semen’Rai 84 BnDc: 47

BantawalU#1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’MesorootsPL *(n)-li² ‘PENIS’Allofams114 #1285 PTB *m-(l/n)ey ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114a #1284 PTB *m-ley ⪤ *m-li ‘PENIS’114b #545 PTB *m-ney ‘PENIS’◦khU#188 PTB *ku ‘SEMEN / BODY FLUID’◦wa ‘semen’Rai 85 BnDs

2.3.3Central Kiranti1

Dumiroːmorpheme rɨ ‘semen, sperm, seed’Dumi roː rɨ looks exactly parallel to Tangut rǐɑr rǐe.Driem 93 Dumi

2.3.4Western Kiranti1

Thulungla◦samorpheme ‘semen’Allen 75

3.1Tangut1

Tangut [Xixia]rǐɑrmorpheme rǐe ‘semen’Dai 89 Xixi: 10.3.7

3.2Qiangic1

Qiang (Mawo)ʁliəʴ ‘semen’Sun J 86 Mawo

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #1614, *(r/w)a ‘SEMEN’.

Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/1614

Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].

BibTeX

@misc{stedt-1614,
  title  = {{*(r/w)a 'SEMEN'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #1614},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/1614}
}