A note on Proto-Burmese-Lolo prefixation

Abstract

In an early (1939) study of K[anburi] L[awa], the writer pointed out that this deviant BL language has initial 1- for PBL *s-: le 'fruit' < *sey, lak 'tree' < *sik (cf. lla 'neck' < *lire), as well as for PEI, *z-: ID- 'child' < *za (cf. • 'five' < *RE), contrasting with d- for *s- in dory 'three' < *sum (cf. yuq 'house' < *yarsi, with *u maintained after *y.-); also th- for *ts-: than 'elephant' < *tsail,as well as for *A-: ,-a-tha 'fish' = 'fish-flesh' (this compound often found in TB vocabulary lists under 'fish') < *La. Note 17 'fish' < *nya and -tha 'flesh' < *6a, contrasting with aa 'five' < *LA and 1D- 'child' < *za, exactly paralleling the development (STC: 54) shown by Lakher [Kuki-Naga] a! 'fish' and sa 'flesh', con- trasting with pro 'five' and so 'child'.