Appendix:Stable lexical roots in Sino-Tibetan languages

Matisoff (2009) lists a number of roots that he considers to be stable in the Sino-Tibetan language family.


 * Body parts
 * blood:
 * bone:
 * ear:
 * eye:
 * hair (body):, , ,
 * fur:
 * feather: ,
 * hand:
 * nose:
 * tail:
 * tongue:
 * tooth:
 * breast/milk/suck:
 * gall:
 * joint:
 * liver: ,
 * snot:
 * spleen:


 * Animals
 * animal:
 * dog:
 * fish:
 * pig:
 * snake:
 * bear:
 * cattle:
 * dove:
 * louse: ,


 * Numerals
 * two (2):
 * three (3):
 * four (4):
 * five (5):
 * six (6):
 * seven (7):
 * eight (8):
 * nine (9):
 * hundred (100):


 * Natural objects, units of time
 * day (of 24 hours):
 * sun / daytime:
 * fire:
 * moon:
 * smoke:
 * wind:
 * year:


 * People and habitation
 * child / son:
 * grandfather / elder brother:
 * house:
 * husband / male:, ,
 * man / person: ,
 * name:
 * father:, ,


 * Plants and ingestibles
 * medicine / juice / paint: ,
 * poison:
 * bamboo:
 * fruit:
 * garlic / onion:


 * Pronouns
 * first person (I, we):
 * second person (you):
 * third person / who:


 * Verbs
 * bitter:
 * die:
 * dream: ,
 * eat:
 * ill:
 * kill:
 * lick:
 * steal:
 * bent / crooked:
 * give:
 * know: ,
 * open:
 * pour / spill:
 * stand:


 * Abstract
 * copula (to be): ,
 * negative:
 * negative imperative: