Reconstruction analysis
Intermediate reconstructions
Connections
Notes
This widespread etymon is attested all over TB (NE Indian Areal Group, Himalayish, Lolo-Burmese, Qiangic). It comprises both a simplex and a causative variant, i.e. DRINK (with underlying nasal prefix) vs. GIVE TO DRINK (with underlying *s- prefix), and by extension SMOKE (tobacco) vs. GIVE TO SMOKE. (Cf. Japanese tabako wo nomu ‘smoke (“drink”) tobacco’.)
The nasal prefix is clearly reflected in Himalayish (Baima, Amdo Tibetan), Qiangic (Namuyi, Tangut), and Loloish (e.g. Yi Dafang, Luquan, Nasu, Xide), sometimes with an actual nasal segment, sometimes more indirectly (as in Lahu dɔ̀, where the voiced initial is a reliable reflex of PLB *prenasalization).
There is a phonologically excellent Chinese comparandum with the meaning MILK: 湩 [GSR 1188c]. See below.
Loloish has a simplex/causative alternation in this root: cf. Lahu dɔ̀ ‘drink’ ⪤ tɔ ‘give to drink’.
Chinese comparandum
湩 OC *ti̯ung/*tung, GSR #1188c ‘milk’; Li 1971: *tjungh/*tungh; Baxter 1992: *tjongs/*tongs; Mand. dòng ~ zhòng.
The correspondences are a perfect match. OC *u (Li)/*o (Baxter) regularly corresponds to PTB *u before velar codas.
However, there is a competing etymology suggesting that this word is an early borrowing from a Central Asian language (Pulleyblank 1962:250ff). This etymology is supported by the fact that this is not the ordinary Chinese word for ‘milk’; early glosses define it as ‘milk (of cows and mares)’. The Chinese themselves did not drink such milk, so it would not be surprising if this word were borrowed from nomadic peoples.
[ZJH]
Reflexes & cognates367 reflexes · 32 subgroups
1.1.1Tani1
1.1.1.1Western Tani45
1.1.1.2Eastern Tani4
1.1.2Deng15
1.3.3Zeme Group2
1.4Meithei1
1.5Mikir [Karbi]2
2.1.1Western Himalayish11
2.1.2Bodic6
2.1.2.1Tibetan22
2.1.3Lepcha1
2.1.4Tamangish26
2.2Newar4
2.3Kiranti2
2.3.1Eastern Kiranti6
2.3.2Southern Kiranti7
2.3.3Central Kiranti4
2.3.4Western Kiranti7
2.4Kham-Magar-Chepang9
3.1Tangut3
3.2Qiangic35
3.3rGyalrongic7
3.3.1rGyalrong22
6.1Lolo-Burmese3
6.1.2Loloish4
6.1.2.1Northern Loloish46
6.1.2.2Central Loloish43
6.1.2.3Southern Loloish25
6.1.2.4Southeastern Loloish5
6.2Naxi6
9.0.1Old Chinese2
9.0.3Modern Chinese1
Cite this entry
*m/s-tuŋ ‘DRINK / SUCKLE’.https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/502BibTeX
@misc{stedt-502,
title = {{*m/s-tuŋ 'DRINK / SUCKLE'}},
author = {STEDT},
year = {2017},
note = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #502},
url = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/502}
}