The Proto-Khmeric language is the reconstructed proto-language of the Khmeric languages. It has been reconstructed by Sidwell & Rau (2015), whose reconstruction is based on the sound laws provided in Ferlus (1992). It is agreed by most scholars that this language was phased out by 300 CE.
| Proto-Khmeric | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Khmer dialects |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
Reconstructed forms
editThe reconstructed Proto-Khmeric forms below are from Sidwell & Rau (2015: 273, 340-363).
| Gloss | Proto-Khmeric |
|---|---|
| all | *grɔp |
| ashes | *pheːh |
| bark (of tree) | *smpɔːk |
| belly | *buŋ |
| big | *luoŋ ~ *ruoŋ |
| to bite | *tkiːr ~ *tkɛːr, *kat |
| black | *kmaw |
| blood | *ɟhaːm |
| boat | *duok |
| bone | *cʔəŋ |
| breast | *tɔh |
| to burn (vt.) | *tut, *ʔus |
| candle | *dian |
| claw/nail | *krcɔːk |
| cloud | *-(b/w)ɔːk |
| cold | *rŋaː(r) |
| to come/arrive | *mɔːk |
| die (of a person) | *slap |
| dog | *cɔː, *ckɛː |
| to drink (water) | *phik |
| dry (adj./stat.) | *praŋ |
| ear | *(t/c)rciək |
| earth/soil | *tiː |
| to eat | *cie |
| eye | *pnɛːk |
| fat/grease/oil | *klaɲ |
| feather | *slaːp |
| fire | *ʔus |
| fish (n.) | *triː |
| fly (v.) | *həːr |
| foot | *ɟəːŋ |
| full (vessel) | *beːɲ |
| give | *ʔoːj |
| good | *lʔɔː |
| green | *kciː |
| group | *buak |
| hair (of head) | *suk |
| hand | *təj |
| to hear/listen | *stap |
| heart | *klim |
| horn | *sneːŋ |
| I | *ʔaɲ |
| to kill | *psiət, *smlap |
| know | *cih, *sgal |
| leaf | *slik |
| to learn | *rian |
| to lie (down) | *tiek |
| liver | *tləːm |
| long | *wɛːŋ |
| louse (head) | *ciː |
| man/husband | *ɟmoːl |
| meat/flesh | *sac |
| moon | *khɛː |
| mountain/hill | *bnɔm, *duol |
| mouth | *mat |
| name | *ɟmɔh |
| neck | *kɔː |
| new | *tmiː |
| night | *jɔp |
| nose | *crmuh |
| not | *ʔət ~ *ʔɔt ~ *ʔit |
| oil | *prieŋ |
| one | *muoj |
| person/human | *ʔnak |
| rain | *pliəŋ |
| red | *krhɔːm |
| road, path | *gnlɔːŋ |
| root (of a tree) | *ris |
| round (object) | *wiel, *rwiəl, *rwɔŋ |
| sand | *ksac |
| see | *jɔl, *ghəːɲ |
| sit | *guj |
| skin | *spɛːk |
| sleep | *tiːk |
| small | *tic, *cmaːr |
| smoke (n.) | (?*psɛːɲ) |
| to offer | *ɟuon |
| to speak, say | *srtiː |
| to stand | *ɟhɔːr |
| star | *pkaːj |
| stone | *tmɔː |
| sun | *tŋaj |
| to swim | *hɛːl(?) |
| that (dist.) | *nɔh |
| this (prox.) | *nih |
| tongue | *ʔntaːt |
| tree | *ɟhəː |
| two | *bier |
| to walk, go | *təːr |
| warm/hot | *ktaw |
| water | *tɨk |
| white | *skuː, *sɔː |
| woman/wife | *knsaj, *kntaj |
Lexical innovations
editSelected Khmeric lexical innovations:[1]
| Gloss | Proto-Austroasiatic | Old Khmer | Modern Khmer | Surin Khmer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘fish’ | *kaʔ | triː~treː | trəj | trɛj |
| ‘chicken’ | *ʔiər | – | moan | mɯan |
| ‘dog’ | *cɔːʔ | cʰkɛː | cʰkae | ʨkɛː |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Sidwell, Paul (2021). "Classification of MSEA Austroasiatic languages". The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia. De Gruyter. pp. 179–206. doi:10.1515/9783110558142-011. ISBN 9783110558142. S2CID 242599355.
- Ferlus, Michel. 1992. Essai de phonétique historique du khmer (Du milieu du premier millénaire de notre ère à l'époque actuelle). Mon-Khmer Studies 21: 57–89.
- Sidwell, Paul and Felix Rau (2015). "Austroasiatic Comparative-Historical Reconstruction: An Overview." In Jenny, Mathias and Paul Sidwell, eds (2015). The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages. Leiden: Brill.