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STEDT #663

*l(y)a(k/ŋ)

GOOD / BEAUTIFUL
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Connections

Allofams

Notes

This etymon is very likely allofamic with #2722 PTB *m-tyak/ŋ ⪤ *tik/ŋ GOOD / VERY / REAL / STRAIGHT, illustrating the widespread alternation between dental stop and liquid in TB. See Matisoff 2013 (“The dinguist’s dilemma”).

Chinese comparandum

良 OC *li̯ɑng, GSR #735a ‘good’; Schuessler 2007: (*raŋ); B & S 2011: *raŋ {[r]aŋ}; Mand. liáng.

Comment: For 良 liáng, recently reconstructed as OC *raŋ, to be a valid comparandum, we would ideally wish to see an initial *r- in the PTB form here. One possible recourse is to assume an alternation *l(y)a(k/ŋ) ⪤ *r(y)a(k/ŋ) at the PST stage.

Reflexes & cognates54 reflexes · 12 subgroups

0Sino-Tibetan (previously published reconstructions)1

*Sino-Tibetanlek ‘good / easy’Coblin 86: 87

0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)1

*Tibeto-Burmanl(y)ak ⪤ l(y)aŋ ‘good / beautiful’Matisoff 03 HPTB: 601

1.1.1.1Western Tani2

Bokarlak ‘good’Sun J 93 Tani
Galolak int.‘perfect!’GLDC 09 Galo

2.1.1Western Himalayish1

Kanaurilaĭk adj‘good / adept / clever / worthy’Bailey 11

2.1.2Bodic11

KaikelA adj‘good (human)’Hale 73 CSD: 12a.23
Tsangla (Central)lek◦pumorpheme ‘good’Andvik 93: 129
Tsangla (Motuo)lek⁵⁵pu⁵⁵suffix ‘beautiful’Zhang Jichuan 86
Tsangla (Motuo)lek⁵⁵pu⁵⁵morpheme ‘good’Zhang Jichuan 86
Tsangla (Motuo)lek◦pusuffix ‘beautiful’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 847.7
Tsangla (Motuo)lek◦pumorpheme ‘good’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 860.7
Tsangla (Tilang)lyak-pusuffix-jamorpheme ‘beautiful’Zhang Jichuan 86
Motuo Menbalek pusuffix ‘beautiful’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1060.07

2.1.2.1Tibetan19

Tibetan (Alike)jak ‘beautiful / pleasant to the eyes’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1093.05
Tibetan (Amdo:Bla-brang)jak kwamorpheme ‘beautiful’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 847.4
Tibetan (Batang)jɑ¹³pᴜ⁵³suffix ‘good’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1052.03
Tibetan (Lhasa)ja¹³ko⁵⁵morpheme ‘good’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1052.02
Tibetan (Lhasa)jaʔ¹³ko⁵³morpheme ‘good’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 860.2
Tibetan (Lhasa)lek¹³po⁵⁵morpheme ‘good’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1052.02
Tibetan (Sherpa)lye◦mumorpheme ‘good’Hale 73 CSD: 01.097
Tibetan (Sherpa)lye◦mumorpheme adj‘good (human)’Hale 73 CSD: 12a.23
Tibetan (Written)jag pomorpheme ‘good’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 860.1
Tibetan (Written)legs◦pamorpheme ‘good’Marrison 67 Naga
Tibetan (Written)yag-pomorpheme / ḥdźag-pomorpheme ‘good’Benedict 72 STC: 54n183
Tibetan (Xiahe)jaχ kwamorpheme ‘beautiful’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1060.04
Tibetan (Xiahe)jaχ kwamorpheme ‘beautiful / pleasant to the eyes’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1093.04

2.4Kham-Magar-Chepang2

Chepanglaŋ.ʔaymorpheme thaŋmorpheme.ʔaymorpheme onom.‘brightly beautiful’Caughley 00 Chepang
Chepangləŋ.ʔaymorpheme thəŋmorpheme.ʔaymorpheme onom.‘beautiful (flowers)’Caughley 00 Chepang

3.1Tangut1

6.1.1Burmish11

Achang (Lianghe)liɑŋ⁵⁵pɑ⁵⁵morpheme ‘beautiful’Dai 85 AcJZ
Bola (Luxi)u³⁵morphemejauŋ³⁵ ‘beautiful / pleasant to the eyes’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1093.32
Langsu (Luxi)jauŋ⁵⁵ ‘beautiful / pleasant to the eyes’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1093.31
Leqi (Luxi)a³¹prefixjuŋ⁵⁵ ‘ugly’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1061.33
Leqi (Luxi)jɔːŋ⁵⁵ ‘beautiful’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1060.33
Leqi (Luxi)jɔːŋ⁵⁵ ‘beautiful / pleasant to the eyes’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1093.33
Maru [Langsu]jauŋ⁵⁵ ‘beautiful’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 847.43

6.1.2.1Northern Loloish2

Nusu (Southern)liə̱⁵³ ‘beautiful’Sun J 86 Nusu

6.2Naxi2

Naxilə²¹ ‘beautiful’Huang and Dai 92 TBL: 1060.45
Naxi (Lijiang)ndʐɯ³³morpheme ; lə³¹ ‘beautiful’Sun H 91 ZMYY: 847.28

9.0.1Old Chinese3

Chinese (Old/Mid)di̯ĕg/iĕ- ‘easy; negligent; at ease; well cultivated’Karlgren 57 GSR: 850a
Chinese (Old/Mid)lieg/liei- ‘well-proportioned; elegant, beautiful; refined; good’Karlgren 57 GSR: 878a-b
Chinese (Old/Mid)li̯ɑng/li̯ɑng ‘good’Karlgren 57 GSR: 735a-d

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #663, *l(y)a(k/ŋ) ‘GOOD / BEAUTIFUL’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/663
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
References: cf. HPTB pp.51, 327, 521
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-663,
  title  = {{*l(y)a(k/ŋ) 'GOOD / BEAUTIFUL'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #663},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/663}
}