< Reconstruction:Proto-Mon-Khmer
Reconstruction:Proto-Mon-Khmer/rwaaj
Proto-Mon-Khmer
Etymology
- Proto-Mon-Khmer: *rwaaj (Shorto, 2006)
Noun
*rwaaj
- tiger, large felid
It's unknown whether the sense of “soul”, “spirit” was present at the Proto-Mon-Khmer stage or was a later development. Either way, this root reflects the animistic lifestyle of the early Mon-Khmer-speaking peoples.
Descendants
- Aslian:
- Temiar: reiwai
- Semai: ruai
- Bahnaric:
- Katuic: *rwaaj (“soul, spirit”) (Sidwell, 2005)
- Pacoh: rvai
- So: [rawi̤aj]
- Katu: [rawaːj]
- Khmeric:
- Khmer: រវើ រវាយ (rɔvəə rɔviəy)?
- Khmuic: *rwaːj (“tiger”) (Sidwell, 2013)
- Khmu: [rwaːj]
- Mlabri: [rwaːj]
- Palaungic: *rwaaj (“tiger”) (Sidwell, 2010)
- Palaung: ra-vāī
- Lamet: [rəwaːj]
- Riang: [rᵊwaj²]
- Pearic: *rəvaːj (Headley, 1985)
- Chong: [rəwaj ~ rəwɤ̤ːj]
- Vietic: *r-vaːjʔ (“soul, spirit”) (Ferlus, 2007)
- Arem: [vaːjʔ]
- Chut:
- Rục: [vaːj³]
- Sách: [vaːj³]
- Maleng: [rəvɐːj⁴]
- Tho
- Cuoi Cham: [vaːj³]
- Southern Vietic:
- Kri: [rʋaːjʔ]
- Viet-Muong:
- Muong: wãi
- Vietnamese: vía?