Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/m-ʔa

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: *ʔraɣ (Coblin, 1986)
- Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *m-ʔa (Matisoff, STEDT); *(m-)a (Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987; French, 1983); *(m-)ɑ (Chou, 1972); *(m-)a(*C) (Coblin, 1986)

Adjective

*m-ʔa

dumb, mute

Descendants

Old Chinese: 啞 /*ʔˤraʔ/ (B-S); /*qraːʔ/ (ZS) ("mute, dumb")
- Middle Chinese: 啞 (ʔɣaX)
  - Modern Mandarin
    - Beijing: 啞 (yǎ), /i̯a²¹⁴/)
Jingpho-Asakian
- Jingpho
  - Jingpho [Kachin]: ma-a (“dumb”)
Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
- Lolo-Burmese
  - Burmish
    - Written Burmese: အ (a., “dumb, mute”)
  - Loloish: *ʔa²/³ (“dumb”) (Bradley, 1979)