*(g/k)uŋ
Reconstruction analysis
Intermediate reconstructions
Connections
Notes
This widespread etymon is similar to #665 PTB *kwar HOLE / ORIFICE / INNARDS (below), in that it typically occurs as the second morpheme in binomes referring to orifices of the body, especially EAR, NOSTRIL, and ANUS; occasionally it occurs in compounds for VAGINA.
This etymon is certainly allofamically related to #387 PTB *s-kawŋ HOLLOW / HOLLOW OBJECT / HEAD, as in the last syllable of, e.g. Lahu ó-qō ‘head’ < PLB *bʷu²-ʔgoŋ².
It is also very possible that it is allofamically related to #3432 PTB *huŋ HOLE. For remarks on velar/laryngeal interchange in TB, see #664 PTB *(h/k)ay VAGINA above.
There are excellent Chinese comparanda: 空 OC *k'ung, GSR #1172h ‘hollow, empty’ and 孔 OC *k'ung, GSR #1174a-b ‘very, greatly; empty’. Another likely Chinese relative is 肛 ‘anus’, Mand. gāng (not in GSR #1172), though this might fit better with #219 PTB *k(w)a(ŋ/k) WAIST / HIPS / BUTTOCKS / TAIL / BACK. See ZJH’s discussion, below.
It is often difficult to distinguish reflexes of this etymon from those of #665 PTB *kwar HOLE / ORIFICE / INNARDS, especially with respect to Loloish and Qiangic. More than one allofam are evidently involved; cf. e.g. Lahu qhɔ ‘inside; hole’ ⪤ qō ‘hollow object’.
Chinese comparanda
空 OC *kʼung GSR #1172h ‘hollow, empty’; Li 1971: *khung; Baxter:1992:771 *khong; Mand. kōng.
孔 OC *kʼung, GSR #1174a ‘very, greatly; empty’; Li 1971: *khungx; Baxter 1992: *khongʔ; Mand. kǒng.
This OC-PTB comparison is long-recognized. See for example Simon 1929, Gong 1995 #75, Coblin 1986:71.
The Chinese forms are a perfect match for the TB reconstruction. For another example of this final correspondence, cf. #3447 PTB *(t/d)uŋ ⪤ *(t/d)waŋ MIDDLE / NAVEL. On the aspiration mismatch in the initial corresponce, see the discussion under #1654 PTB *pu EGG.
The two Chinese forms are clearly etymological doublets. Schuessler (2007:335) speculates that 孔 kǒng may be an ‘endoactive’ derivation meaning ‘hole’, from 空 kōng ‘hollow, empty’, lit. ‘that which is hollow, empty’.
肛 OC (see below) ‘lower intestines/anus’, GSR: not in #1172; Mand. gāng.
This word is not attested until the Middle Chinese period. The Old Chinese reconstruction would be *krung (Li)/*krong (Baxter) if we assume membership in GSR #1172; however, it is possible that the Old Chinese source is *krong (Li)/*krung (Baxter), and that the phonetic element of the character was chosen after the merger of these two OC finals. (The Mandarin pronunciation of 肛 gāng is irregular; we would expect jiāng.)
Schuessler (2007:251) suggests a comparison with WT gźaŋ ‘anus’; however, the vowel correspondence is not good (unless a late borrowing is involved). It is certainly possible that this word is in the same family as 空 kōng and 孔 kǒng, although the function of *-r- is not clear.
[ZJH]
Reflexes & cognates290 reflexes · 32 subgroups
0Sino-Tibetan (previously published reconstructions)1
0.1Tibeto-Burman (previously published reconstructions)2
1.1.1.1Western Tani4
1.1.2Deng8
1.3.3Zeme Group1
1.4Meithei4
1.7.2Northern Naga/Konyakian1
1.7.2.2Konyak-Chang5
1.7.3.1Jingpho4
2.1.2Bodic2
2.1.2.1Tibetan9
2.1.4Tamangish26
2.3Kiranti1
2.3.2Southern Kiranti6
2.3.3Central Kiranti2
2.4Kham-Magar-Chepang10
3.1Tangut1
3.2Qiangic45
3.3.1rGyalrong2
4Nungic1
6.1Lolo-Burmese2
6.1.1Burmish9
6.1.2Loloish1
6.1.2.1Northern Loloish24
6.1.2.2Central Loloish55
6.1.2.3Southern Loloish15
6.1.2.4Southeastern Loloish5
6.2Naxi38
7Karenic7
8Bai3
9.0.1Old Chinese2
9.0.3Modern Chinese4
Cite this entry
*(g/k)uŋ ‘HOLE / ORIFICE / INNER PART’.https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/820BibTeX
@misc{stedt-820,
title = {{*(g/k)uŋ 'HOLE / ORIFICE / INNER PART'}},
author = {STEDT},
year = {2017},
note = {Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT) v1.0, etymon #820},
url = {https://larc-iu.github.io/stedt/etymon/820}
}