Proto-Khmeric language
{{short description|Reconstructed ancestor of the Khmeric languages}}
{{Infobox proto-language
| name = Proto-Khmeric
| familycolor = Austro-Asiatic
| ancestor = Proto-Austroasiatic
| target = Khmer dialects
}}
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.
Reconstructed forms
The reconstructed Proto-Khmeric forms below are from Sidwell & Rau (2015: 273, 340-363).
| class="wikitable sortable"
! 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
Selected Khmeric lexical innovations:{{cite book|last=Sidwell|first=Paul|title=The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia|chapter=Classification of MSEA Austroasiatic languages|publisher=De Gruyter|date=2021|doi=10.1515/9783110558142-011|pages=179–206|isbn=9783110558142 |s2cid=242599355 }}
| class="wikitable"
! 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
References
{{reflist}}
- Ferlus, Michel. 1992. [http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/ferlus1992essai.pdf 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.
{{Austroasiatic languages}}