STEDT
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STEDT #2531

*s-ŋow

WHITE / GREEN / YELLOW / BLUE
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handleŋowprefixsinitialŋrhymeowcoverM · VNWS

Intermediate reconstructions

Kuki-Chin*ŋaw ‘FAIR (skin color) / WHITE (of skin)’PKC #852

Connections

HPTB*s-ŋow ‘blue / green’p. 223

Notes

Tibetan and rGyalrong have an allofam with final *-n.

The general meaning of this root seems to be ‘light in color’, with the exact color referred to differing from language to language.

Reflexes & cognates46 reflexes · 15 subgroups

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)2

*Tibeto-Burmans-ŋow ‘blue / green’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 606
*Tibeto-Burmanŋow ‘white / green / yellow’Benedict 72 STC: 296

1.2Kuki-Chin1

This root was reconstructed as *ŋow in STC #296.

*Chinŋaw ‘FAIR (skin color) / WHITE (of skin)’VanBik 09 PKC: 852

1.2.1.1Northern Chin5

Paitengou ‘white’VanBik 09 PKC: 852
Sizangngō hī ‘fair (of color)’VanBik 09 PKC: 852
Thadoŋów-I, ŋòw-II be v.‘fair skin, white’VanBik 09 PKC: 852
Tiddimngou² ‘fair in complexion’VanBik 09 PKC: 852

1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin1

1.2.2Central Chin5

Lai (Hakha)ŋâw-I, ŋǎw-II be v.‘fair skin, white’VanBik 09 PKC: 852
Lai (Falam)ŋâw-I, ŋàw-II be v.‘fair skin, white’VanBik 09 PKC: 852
Lushai [Mizo]ngó ‘white, fair, a light color’VanBik 09 PKC: 852

1.2.3Maraic1

Lakher [Mara]ngyù ‘fair, white’VanBik 09 PKC: 852

1.2.4“Old Kuki”1

Beteəprefix◦ŋoi ‘yellow’Benedict 72 STC: 296

1.3“Naga” Areal Group1

Maringngau◦bangmorpheme ‘white’Marrison 67 Naga

2.1.2Bodic3

Tshona (Wenlang)ŋɑu⁵⁵ ‘blue’Lu 86 CuoM
Tshona (Mama)ŋᴀu⁵³ ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.6
Cuona Menbaŋau⁵⁵po⁵³suffix ‘blue’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1010.06

2.1.2.1Tibetan17

Tibetan (Amdo:Zeku)hŋon-nbosuffix ‘blue’Sun J 85 Amdo: 80
Tibetan (Amdo:Zeku)rŋ̊on mbosuffix ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.5
Tibetan (Batang)ŋ̊ᴜ⁵⁵ŋ̊ᴜ⁵³ ‘blue’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1010.03
Tibetan (Jirel)ngom◦muqmorpheme adj‘blue’Hale 73 CSD: 12b.35
Tibetan (Khams:Dege)ŋ̊en⁵⁵bo⁵³suffix ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.3
Tibetan (Lhasa)ŋom⁵⁵po⁵³suffix ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.2
Tibetan (Lhasa)ŋø⁵⁵po⁵⁵suffix ‘blue’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1010.02
Tibetan (Sherpa)ngun◦busuffix adj‘blue’Hale 73 CSD: 12b.35
Tibetan (Spiti)ŋum◦bosuffix ‘blue’Sharma, S.R. 79 Sp
Tibetan (Spiti)ŋun◦posuffix ‘blue’Sharma, S.R. 79 Sp
Tibetan (Written)sngon.posuffix ‘blue’Sun J 85 TbGl: 80
Tibetan (Written)sŋon posuffix ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.1

3.3.1rGyalrong1

rGyalrongsŋon mbosuffix ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.12

6.1.1Burmish2

Achang (Luxi)ȵau³¹ ‘blue’Dai 85 AcJZ

6.1.2Loloish1

*Loloishʔ-ɲo¹ ‘blue / green’Bradley 79 PLo: 508

6.1.2.1Northern Loloish5

Nusu (Northern)ȵɯ̃³¹ ‘blue’Sun J 86 Nusu
Nusu (Bijiang)ȵɯ³⁵ȵɯ³¹ ‘blue’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 839.45
Nusu (Southern)ȵɯ⁵⁵ ‘blue’Sun J 86 Nusu

6.1.2.2Central Loloish4

Kucongnu33 ‘blue’Dai 09 Kucong
Lahu (Yellow)nɿ¹ ‘blue’Chang 86

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #2531, *s-ŋow ‘WHITE / GREEN / YELLOW / BLUE’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2531
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: cf. STC#296, HPTB p.223
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-2531,
  title  = {{*s-ŋow 'WHITE / GREEN / YELLOW / BLUE'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #2531},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2531}
}