Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/ŋwa

This Proto-Sino-Tibetan entry contains reconstructed terms 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: *ngwjəɣ (Coblin, 1986)
- Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *ŋwa (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987; LaPolla, 1987); *ngwa(*B) (Coblin, 1986)

Some have noticed a similarity with Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cattle”) (whence English cow, Latin bōs) (Koenraad, 1999; Chang, 1988).

Compare Thai งัว (ngua) / วัว (wua, “bullock, cow”), Lao ງົວ (ngūa, “bullock, cow”). Because of the restricted geographic distribution of this Tai etymon, Benedict (1972) suspects Chinese to be a loan from Tai: Li (1976) concludes the Tai item is not a loan from Chinese as it is not found in northern Tai dialects. The relationship between this PST root and the Tai comparanda remains unclear.

Bos taurus indicus (zebu).

Noun

*ŋwa

cattle, ox

Descendants

Old Chinese: 牛 /*ŋʷə/ (B-S), /*ŋʷɯ/ (ZS) ("cattle")
(in the oracle bone script)
- Middle Chinese: 牛 /ŋɨu/
  → Japanese: 牛 (ぎゅう, gyū)
  Korean: 우 (牛, u)
  Vietnamese: ngưu (牛)
  → Sichuan Yi: ꑛ (nyu, “cow, ox (for traditional calendar dates)”)
  - Modern Mandarin
    - Beijing: 牛 (niú, /ni̯oʊ̯³⁵/)
  - Cantonese
    - Guangzhou: 牛 /ŋɐu²¹/
  - Wu
    - Shanghai: 牛 (ȵiɜ²³)
- Min
  - Min Nan
    - Taiwan: 牛 (gu²⁴ (colloquial), giu²⁴ (literary))
Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
- Lolo-Burmese
  - Burmish
    - Written Burmese: နွား (nwa:, “cattle”)
    - Lashi: no³³ (“year of the ox”)
  - Loloish
    - Northern Loloish
      - Yi (Liangshan): ꆈꑌ (nuo nyi, “beef cow”), ꒈꑌ (yyx nyi, “water buffalo”), ꑍꃀ (nyip mop, “cow”)
    - Central Loloish
      - Kucong: nv³¹ ȵi³³ (“ox, cattle”)
      - Lahu: nu⁵³ (“year of the ox”)