STEDT
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STEDT #720

*g-raŋ

WING / HAND / ARM
Proto-Tibeto-Burman

Reconstruction analysis

handlek/g-prefixk/g)initial(y/r)rhymeaŋcoverL · N

Intermediate reconstructions

Tangkhulic*caaŋ ‘WING’DRM#717

Notes

This etymon is well-attested in North Assam, Northern Naga, Bodo-Garo, and Bodic. Darang shows preemption by the velar prefix.

This root is distinct from #1435 PTani *m-kloŋ FEATHER / WING.

Chinese comparandum

翔 OC *dzi̯ɑng, GSR #732p ‘roam back and forth; fly to and fro’ ; Li 1971: (*rjang); Baxter 1992:797 *z(l)jang; B & S 2011: *s-[ɢ]aŋ; Schuessler 2007:533; Mand. xiáng.

JAM: 翔 OC *dzi̯ang ‘go to and fro; fly backwards and forwards; soar; walk with elbows kept as outstretched wings’ GSR #732p.

Yang 1980 reconstructs PST *s-g/ki̯ang, since the same phonetic (羊) occurs in 姜 ‘surname‘ (Mand. jiāng), a word reconstructed with a velar initial as *ki̯ɑng in GSR #711a.

ZJH: This Chinese word belongs to a phonetic series that presents unique challenges of reconstruction, as evidenced by the wide variation seen in the proposed reconstructions. Most words in the series suggest a lateral initial, but a few have velar initial; this is an atypical pattern. Li’s reconstruction of *rj- is the norm for words with Middle Chinese zj-, and makes a good match with the PTB syllable *raŋ. But there is enough uncertainty about the Old Chinese to throw the comparison as a whole in doubt, especially since the Chinese meaning seems to have a semantic center closer to ‘wander’ than to ‘wing’ (contra the presence of the ‘wing’ element (羽, Mand. yǔ) in the written character).

Schuessler (2007:533) reconstructs “*s-jaŋ or s-laŋ (?)” and places it in the same word family as 徉 ‘to walk irresolutely, wander’, Mand. yáng.

Reflexes & cognates50 reflexes · 12 subgroups

1.3.1Central Naga (Ao Group)2

Sangtampükmorpheme◦yang ‘arm’Marrison 67 Naga

1.3.4Tangkhulic6

Tangkhulaprefix◦ngamorpheme◦chang ‘wing’Marrison 67 Naga
Tusomnmorpheme-cɯə̃ ‘wing’Mortensen 12 Tk: BodyParts.175
Ukhrulaprefix-ŋəprefix-caŋ ‘wing’Mortensen 12 Tk
Ukhrulʔamorpheme-ŋəmorpheme-caŋ ‘wing’Mortensen 12 Tk

1.7.1Bodo-Garo1

*Bodo-Garogra'ŋ ‘wing, feather’Burling 59 PBo: 445

1.7.1.1Bodo8

Bodogan◦kətimorpheme ‘feather’Bhat 68 Boro
Bodogaŋ ‘feather; page of a book; classifier for flat objec’Bhat 68 Boro
Bodogaʔŋ ‘wing, feather’Burling 59 PBo: 445
Dimasabamorpheme◦garang ‘feather’Marrison 67 Naga
Kokborokbɛmorpheme-kraŋ ‘wing’Tripuri 88

1.7.1.2Garo2

Garograŋ ‘wing’Weidert 87 TBTo: 864

1.7.2Northern Naga/Konyakian1

*Northern NagaC̬-rəŋ ‘wing’French 83: 579

1.7.2.2Konyak-Chang8

Konyakyang ‘wing’Marrison 67 Naga
Konyakyaŋ ‘wing’French 83: 579
Phomyang ‘wing’Marrison 67 Naga
Phomyaŋ ‘wing’French 83: 579
Phomyaŋ⁵⁵ ‘feather’Burling 98 Phom
Phomyaŋ⁵⁵ ‘wing / feather’Burling 98 Phom
Wancho(o)prefix raŋ ‘wing’French 83: 579
Wanchorang ‘wing’Marrison 67 Naga

Cite this entry

STEDT etymon #720, *g-raŋ ‘WING / HAND / ARM’.
Stable link: https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/720
Data: STEDT v1.0 (2017). Accessed: [date].
BibTeX
@misc{stedt-720,
  title  = {{*g-raŋ 'WING / HAND / ARM'}},
  author = {STEDT},
  year   = {2017},
  note   = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #720},
  url    = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/720}
}