STEDT #173

*kak

HARD / DIFFICULT

Proto-Tibeto-Burman · exemplary · provisional

Reconstruction analysis

handlekakinitialkrhymeakcoverK · T

Notes

The verb in the Lahu expression mû qhâʔ ve ‘have a drought’ might possibly be from this etymon (mû ‘heaven, sky’), i.e., literally ‘heaven is difficult’.

Reflexes & cognates23 reflexes · 11 subgroups

0Sino-Tibetan (previously published reconstructions)2

*Sino-Tibetankhaɣ/khak ‘bitter / difficult’Coblin 86: 44

*Sino-Tibetanʔyak ⪤ kak ‘difficult’Matisoff 83 TIL: 70

1.3.3Zeme Group1

Maramkak ‘difficult’Marrison 67 Naga

1.7.3.1Jingpho1

Jingphoəmorpheme◦yàkloanword əmorpheme◦khàk ‘troubles, problems, difficulties (loan word, though)’This word is evidently a loan from Burmese, since PTB *-k regularly became -ʔ in Jingpho. The other element in this elaborate expression, however, is from Shan (cf. Siamese jâak).Matisoff 83 TIL: 70

1.7.3.2Asakian1

Sakkháʔ vi‘hard / difficult’Huziwara 08 Sak: 345-2

2.1.2.1Tibetan6

Tibetan (Lhasa)khaʔ⁵³ko⁵³morpheme ‘difficult’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 879.2

Tibetan (Lhasa)kha⁵⁵ko⁵⁵morpheme ‘difficult’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1067.02

Tibetan (Written)kag◦posuffix ‘difficult’Marrison 67 Naga

Tibetan (Written)khag ‘difficulty’Coblin 86: 44

Tibetan (Written)khag posuffix ‘difficult’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 879.1

Tibetan (Written)khag-posuffix ‘difficult, hard to bear’Matisoff 83 TIL: 70

2.3.1Eastern Kiranti1

Limbukhak◦tmorpheme- v.‘harden, to congeal, to freeze, to solidify (of fats)’Driem 88? LimA

6.1.1Burmish10

Burmese (Rangoon)khɛʔ⁴ ‘difficult’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1067.27

Burmese (Spoken Rangoon)khɛʔ⁴⁴ ‘difficult’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 879.40

Burmese (Written)khak ‘difficult’Marrison 67 Naga

Burmese (Written)khak ‘strong’Hansson 89 AHKP: 474

Burmese (Written)khak ‘hard, difficult, arduous’Matisoff 83 TIL: 70

Burmese (Written)khak ‘hard, difficult; harsh’Benedict 76 WBur

Burmese (Written)khak ‘difficult, hard’Coblin 86: 44

Burmese (Written)khɑk ‘difficult’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 879.39

Burmese (Written)khɑk⁴ ‘difficult’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1067.26

Marmakhaʔ ‘hard / difficult’Huziwara 08 Sak: 345-2

6.1.2Loloish1

*Loloishkakᴴ ‘difficult’Bradley 79 PLo: 544A

6.1.2.1Northern Loloish1

Yi (Liangshan)kɔ³³ ‘difficult; hard (difficult)’Ma 08 Yi: index

9.0.1Old Chinese1

Chinese (Old)khagx ‘bitter / difficult’Coblin 86: 44

9.0.2Middle Chinese1

Chinese (Middle)khwo: ‘bitter / difficult’Coblin 86: 44

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #173, *kak ‘HARD / DIFFICULT’.

Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/173

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

References: TIL #70; ↭*yak (175)<**k-yak?

BibTeX

@misc{stedt-173,
  title  = {{*kak 'HARD / DIFFICULT'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #173},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/173}
}