Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/m-kul

This Proto-Sino-Tibetan entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Sino-Tibetan

Etymology

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
- Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *m-kul (Matisoff, STEDT; Mortensen, 2012); *m-kul ⪤ *kun (Matisoff, 2003; Benedict, 1972); *(m-)kul (Weidert, 1987)

In previous reconstructions the root for the number twenty was thought to be connected with a PTB *kun (“all”), but it was later suggested that the two words could indeed come from the same root. Evidence of this double-meaning association can be found in specific pairs of words in some Sino-Tibetan languages. For instance, in Karbi the pair koi (“twenty”) and ingkoi (“all”) is attested. In this example, the two meanings are distinguished by the presence or absence of some nasal element, that could be analyzed as the prefix *m-.

From a semantic point of view, it is possible that the word for twenty and the word for all could in fact be both represented by PTB *(m-)kul ~ *kun, which had a meaning like "such a large number that one has to use all the fingers and toes to count up to it" (Matisoff, STEDT).

Numeral

*m-kul

Proto-Sino-Tibetan numerals
ONE	ʔit kat *tjak ~ g-t(j)ik
TWO	*g/s-ni-s
THREE	*g-sum
FOUR	*b-ləj
FIVE	*l/b-ŋa
SIX	*d-k-ruk
SEVEN	*s-ni-s
EIGHT	*b-r-gjat ~ b-g-rjat
NINE	*d/s-kəw
TEN	gip ts(j)i(j) ~ tsjaj
TWENTY	*(m-)kul
HUNDRED	*b-r-gja
THOUSAND	*s-tawŋ

twenty

Adjective