STEDT #2595
*sram
OTTER
Reconstruction analysis
handleramprefixsinitialrrhymeam=sramcoverL · NLS
Intermediate reconstructions
Northern Naga/Konyakian*(C̥-)rom ‘OTTER’
Lolo-Burmese*sram¹ ‘OTTER’
Connections
HPTB*sram or *s-ram ‘otter’pp. 69, 77, 102, 150, 250, 257
Notes
Written Burmese phyam has always presented a puzzle (see STC 107, n. 302). In Matisoff 2010 (“Toward a Eurasian Bestiary”), I surmised that the labial initial arose through a reduction of a Mon-Khmer etymon (see Mon-Khmer *bheʔ, Shorto 2006:#260).
Lisu pu̱³³ and Hani (Khatu) pjá tɔ̃ seem clearly to be loans from Burmese.
After much hesitation, STC chose to treat the initial combination *sr- as an intrinsic cluster rather than as a sequence of prefix plus root initial. This analysis is buttressed by forms like Mizo sa-hram.
Chinese comparandum
猵 OC *piɑn, GSR #246i ‘otter’; Schuessler 2007:165 *pên; Mand. biān.
Comment: Cf. discussion in STC 107, n. 302, also Matisoff (2010). Forms with initial p- for ‘otter’ are apparently rare across TB languages except for Written/Spoken Burmese (WB phyam) and possibly Sak and Marma (both phaing).
Reflexes & cognates186 reflexes · 34 subgroups
0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)7
1.1.1Tani1
1.1.1.1Western Tani12
1.1.1.2Eastern Tani4
1.1.2Deng5
1.2Kuki-Chin1
1.2.1.1Northern Chin2
Sizangsa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’ ham ‘otter’VanBik 09 PKC: 1091
1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin3
Cho (Mindat)tui#298 PTB *m-t(w)əy-n ⪤ *m-ti-s ‘WATER / FLUID / LIQUID / RIVER / SOAK / SPIT’PKC *tuy ‘WATER / FLUID / LIQUID’PTk *dɨ ‘WATER’PLB *m/ʔ-titᴴ ‘WET / SOAK’PKar *thejᴬ ‘WATER’ hram ‘otter ("water otter")’VanBik 09 PKC: 1091
Khumisahaang ‘otter-like animal, small (stiped fur, lives in the river, eats fish)’VanBik 09 PKC: 1091
1.2.2Central Chin7
Lai (Hakha)sàay#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hrěm ‘otter’VanBik 09 PKC: 1091
Lai (Hakha)sai#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hrem ‘otter’Van Bik, K. 95 Lai
Lushai [Mizo]sa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hrǎm n‘otter’VanBik 09 PKC: 1091
Lushai [Mizo]sa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hram ‘otter’LaPolla 87: 154
Lushai [Mizo]sa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hram ‘otter’Benedict 72 STC: 108n304
Lushai [Mizo]sa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’-hram ‘otter’Benedict 72 STC: 438
Lushai [Mizo]sa#34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’MesorootsPKC *sʰaa ‘ANIMAL / FLESH / MEAT’PCN *a-ʃaʔ ‘ANIMAL / MEAT, FLESH’PTk *sa ‘FLESH / MEAT / ANIMAL’Allofams1 #5711 PTB *sya-n ⪤ *sin ‘FLESH / ANIMAL / BODY / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’1a #34 PTB *sya-n ‘FLESH / MEAT / GAME ANIMAL’1b #318 PTB *sin ‘BODY / OWNER / AGENTIVE NOMINALIZER’◦hram ‘otter’Marrison 67 Naga
1.2.3Maraic1
1.3.1Central Naga (Ao Group)10
1.3.2Angami-Pochuri Group1
1.3.3Zeme Group2
1.3.4Tangkhulic3
1.5Mikir [Karbi]3
1.7.1.1Bodo6
1.7.1.2Garo5
1.7.2Northern Naga/Konyakian1
1.7.2.2Konyak-Chang3
1.7.3.1Jingpho8
2.1.2Bodic7
2.1.2.1Tibetan21
Tibetan (Written)brɑg#2166 PTB *b-rak ‘ROCK / STONE’PLB *ʔ-rakᴸ ‘ROCK / STONE’-srɑ́m ‘rock-otter? / sable?’Jäschke 1881
2.1.3Lepcha2
3.2Qiangic16
3.3rGyalrongic2
3.3.1rGyalrong5
4Nungic8
6.1Lolo-Burmese4
6.1.1Burmish14
6.1.2Loloish3
6.1.2.1Northern Loloish13
Nusu (Central)ŋa⁵⁵#1455 PTB *s-ŋya ‘FISH’PTani *ŋo ‘FISH’PKC *ŋaa ⪤ *hŋaa ‘FISH’PCN *a-hŋaʔ ‘FISH’PTk *ŋa ‘FISH’dza⁵⁵ n‘otter’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 0317.34
Yi (Dafang)ʑi²¹#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’sɿ³³ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.22
Yi (Mojiang)ʑi²¹#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ɕe⁵⁵ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.26
Yi (Nanhua)ʑi³³#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ʂi³³ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.24
Yi (Nanhua)ʑi³³#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ʂə̱³³ n‘otter’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 0317.37
6.1.2.2Central Loloish6
6.1.2.3Southern Loloish15
Akha (Yunnan)ý#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ sjhḿ/ ý#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ shḿ ‘otter’Hansson 89 AHKP: 395
Akha (Thai)ý#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’-sjhḿ ‘otter’Hansson 89 AHKP: 395
Bisuláŋ#191 PTB *laŋ ‘WATER / FLUID / RIVER / VALLEY’PTani *laŋ ‘SOUP’PLB *laŋ¹ ‘RIVER / VALLEY’◦ʃám ‘otter’Bradley 9x Bisu
Hani (Dazhai)ɯ⁵⁵#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’sɔ⁵⁵ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.31
Hani (Lüchun)ɯ⁵⁵#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’sɔ⁵⁵ n‘otter’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 0317.41
Hani (Pijo)ɣý#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ sjhí ‘otter’Hansson 89 AHKP: 395
Hani (Caiyuan)ɤ⁵⁵#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’se⁵⁵ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.30
Hani (Gelanghe)ɯ⁵⁵#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ɕm̩⁵⁵ ‘otter’Li Yongsui 86 Hani
Hani (Wordlist)eel#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’◦saol ‘otter’Hansson 89 AHKP: 395
Hani (Shuikui)ɣɯ⁵⁵#1013 PTB *rəy ‘WATER / LIQUID / BODILY FLUID’PLB *rəy¹ ‘WATER’PL *re¹ ‘WATER’ʃu⁵⁵ ‘otter’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 133.32
6.2Naxi4
Laze (Xiangjiao)ʂɹ˧ ‘otter’[Source note] borrowed from Tibetan at different times in Naxi and Laze?Michaud 06 NaLaze: 3875
Cite this entry
STEDT etymon #2595,
*sram ‘OTTER’.Stable link:
https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2595Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: STC#438
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-2595,
title = {{*sram 'OTTER'}},
author = {STEDT},
year = {2017},
note = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #2595},
url = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/2595}
}