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STEDT #517

*m/s-la(ː)y

NAVEL / CENTER / SELF
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handlem/s-lainitiallrhymea(ː)ycoverL · W

Intermediate reconstructions

Kuki-Chin*laay ‘CENTER / MIDDLE / NAVEL’PKC #1000
Central Naga (Ao Group)*ph-laj ‘NAVEL, BELLY BUTTON’PCN #051
Tangkhulic*laj ‘NAVEL’DRM#383

Connections

Allofams
HPTB*laːy ⪤ *s-tay ‘navel / middle / center’pp. 52, 102, 208, 210, 217

Notes

Reflexes of this allofam occur in the NE Indian Areal Group, Himalayish, and Lolo-Burmese, as well as in Tujia.

The initial nasals of the Bodo-Garo forms are presumably due to prefix preemption.

Reflexes & cognates134 reflexes · 26 subgroups

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)3

*Tibeto-Burmanlaːy ‘navel; middle, center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214
*Tibeto-Burmanlaːy ‘middle, center; navel’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 062
*Tibeto-Burmanlaːy ‘middle, center; navel’Benedict 72 STC: 287

1.1.1.2Eastern Tani1

Padam-Mishing [Abor-Miri]ai ‘self’For now we are including this Abor-Miri form for ‘self’ with zero-initial in this set, along with several zero-initial forms meaning ‘I/me’ from Naga languages. One can imagine a scenario whereby the *s-l cluster became a voiceless lateral *hl-, thence a plain *h-, then zero. (Such was the fate, e.g. of the voiceless PLB resonants *hl-, *hr-, *hy-, which all became h- in Lahu. Cf. also the Tangkhul reflexes in h-.)Matisoff 85 GSTC: 071

1.1.2Deng2

Kaman [Miju]pɑ³¹ tɯ³¹ lɑi⁵⁵ ‘center’Sun H 80 MLD
Kaman [Miju]tlái ‘navel / center’The tl- cluster in this Miju form looks like a reduction of the disyllabic sequence tɯ-lai (cf. pɑ³¹ tɯ³¹ lɑi⁵⁵ ‘center’).Weidert 87 TBTo: 214

1.2Kuki-Chin2

*Chinlaay ‘CENTER / MIDDLE / NAVEL’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000

1.2.1.1Northern Chin10

Kuki-Chinkengmorpheme◦khomorpheme◦lai ‘middle toe’Haokip 98: 7.2.3
Kuki-Chinlai◦vommorpheme ‘navel’Haokip 98: 5.7.1
Sizangaprefix lai ‘navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Thadoláay ‘navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Tiddim-laːi na‘middle’Henderson 65 TidC
Tiddimlai² ‘navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Tiddimlaːi² ‘middle’Bhaskararao 96 CDB: 892
Tiddimlɑi¹ ‘navel; middle’Luce 85: N.16

1.2.1.2Southern Plains Chin9

Ashomlaih ‘navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Asho (Sandoway)ăˋprefixhmlɑi¹ ‘navel’This form attests to the simultaneous presence of the *s- and *m- prefixes with this root: *s-m-lay.Luce 85: N.16
Khumilay◦líiwngmorpheme ‘navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Awa Khumilɛ³lun⁴morpheme ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Khumi (Ahraing)lɑɛ² ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Khumi (Ahraing)lɑɛ⁴ [lɛᴜ̃⁴] ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Womatulɑi⁴ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16

1.2.2Central Chin14

Khualsimlɑi³ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Lai (Hakha)lâay ‘center, middle, navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Lai (Falam)lǎay ‘center, middle’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Lai (Hakha)lɑi⁵ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Lushai [Mizo]láai ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214
Lushai [Mizo]lai ‘navel;middle;center’Matisoff 87 BP
Lushai [Mizo]lái n‘center, middle, the navel’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Lushai [Mizo]lai ‘middle; center; navel’Benedict 72 STC: 287
Lushai [Mizo]lɑi¹ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16

1.2.3Maraic14

Lakher [Mara]lìa ‘middle, center’VanBik 09 PKC: 1000
Lakher [Mara]lia-pimorpheme ‘finger (middle)’Matisoff 87 BP
Lakher [Mara]pheimorpheme-lia-pymorpheme ‘middle toe’Matisoff 87 BP
Lakher [Mara]tlai ‘oneself, self’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 071
Lothvo (Hiranpi)pə̆ˋliɛ¹ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Merapə̆⁵lɛ⁶ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Tha'oalɑi¹ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16
Xongsailɑi³ ‘navel’Luce 85: N.16

1.2.4“Old Kuki”5

Kom Remkemorpheme ləi ‘middle toe’Toba 91 KRQ: 7.2.3
Kom Remmələi ‘navel’Toba 91 KRQ: 5.7.1
Kom Remmʌláai ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214
Kom Remnəimorpheme mələi ruimorpheme ‘umbilical cord’Toba 91 KRQ: 10.4.12

1.3“Naga” Areal Group1

Maringpalai ‘navel’Marrison 67 Naga

1.3.1Central Naga (Ao Group)11

*Central Nagaph-laj ‘NAVEL, BELLY BUTTON’Bruhn 14 PCN: III.051
*Aotprefix-ph-la[j] ‘NAVEL’Bruhn 14 PCN: II.345
Ao (Chungli)teprefix◦pela ‘navel’Marrison 67 Naga
Ao (Chungli)tə²prefix-pə²la² n.‘navel, belly button’Bruhn 14 PCN: II.345
Ao (Chungli)²tɯprefix²pɯ²la ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214
Ao (Mongsen: Longchang)tüprefix◦püla ‘navel’Marrison 67 Naga
Ao (Mongsen: Mangmetong)[tə]prefix-phəla n.‘navel’Coupe 07 Ao
Lotha Nagan̩¹-la¹ n.‘navel, belly button’Bruhn 14 PCN: III.051
Lotha Naga¹n¹la ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214

1.3.2Angami-Pochuri Group12

Angami (Kohima)(u)prefix lou³³ ‘navel’Nienu 90 AngQ: 5.7.1
Angami (Kohima)uprefix◦lo ‘navel’Marrison 67 Naga
Chokri(u)prefix lou³³ ‘navel’Nienu 90 ChoQ: 5.7.1
Khezhapo̵ló̵ ‘navel’Yabu 94 Khö: 5.7.1
Rengmannu ‘navel’Marrison 67 Naga
Rengma (Northern)¹aprefix²bvɯ³li ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214
Rengma (Southern)⁴n⁴lu ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214

1.3.4Tangkhulic7

Huishuʔamorpheme-pumorpheme-le ‘navel’Mortensen 12 Tk: BodyParts.112
Kachaiʔamorpheme-ukmorpheme-le ‘navel’Mortensen 12 Tk: BodyParts.138
Tangkhulhai◦zo#659 PTB *zu ‘CORD / UMBILICAL CORD / NAVEL’ ‘navel’The h- in these Tangkhul forms apparently descends from the lateral cluster *s-l (cf. the forms from Abor-Miri and Naga languages with zero initial).Tangkhul h- apparently descends from the lateral cluster *s-l (cf. Abor-Miri and Naga forms with zero initials).Marrison 67 Naga
Tusomʔimorpheme-pʰmorpheme-lie ‘navel’Mortensen 12 Tk: BodyParts.149

1.7.2.2Konyak-Chang1

Khiamngan²³lɪʔ ‘navel / center’Weidert 87 TBTo: 214

2.1.1Western Himalayish3

Bunanrè ‘umbilical cord’Sharma, S.R. 91 Bu: 10.4.12

2.1.2.1Tibetan1

Sherpalhyeq ‘navel’Matisoff 87 BP

2.3.2Southern Kiranti4

Bantawachum#526 PTB *(t)sum ‘NAVEL’◦buymorpheme◦tli ‘navel’For Bantawa tl-, cf. Lakher [Mara] and Miju forms with similar reflexes of #517 PTB *m/s-la(ː)y NAVEL / CENTER / SELF.Weidert 87 TBTo: 214

3.3.1rGyalrong5

rGyalrong (Eastern)taprefix◦jɐkmorpheme la ‘middle finger’Sun H 91 rEQ: 7.1.2
rGyalrong (Eastern)taprefix◦memorpheme la ‘middle toe’Sun H 91 rEQ: 7.2.3
rGyalrongtəprefix la ‘middle’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 56.12
rGBenzhentəprefix-laʔ ‘middle’Sun J 97 rGB

5Tujia2

Tujia (Northern)lo³⁵morpheme li⁵⁵ ‘center’Tian 86
Tujiamɯe²¹morpheme tʰi⁵⁵morpheme kʰu⁵⁵morpheme li⁵⁵ ‘navel’Chen 86 TuBQ: 5.7.1

6.1.2.2Central Loloish5

Lahu (Black)khâʔ#5678 PLB *krakᴴ ‘CROSSBOW’-le n.‘trigger of crossbow’The trigger is, as it were, the navel of a gun or crossbow. See Matisoff 1988, The Dictionary of Lahu, p. 1373.Matisoff 88 DL: p.369
Lahu (Black)nâʔmorpheme-le n.‘trigger’Matisoff 88 DL: p.751
Lahu (Black)nâʔmorpheme-le ‘trigger of gun’Matisoff 85 GSTC: 062

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #517, *m/s-la(ː)y ‘NAVEL / CENTER / SELF’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/517
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: Tangkhul points to *s-
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-517,
  title  = {{*m/s-la(ː)y 'NAVEL / CENTER / SELF'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #517},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/517}
}