Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/g-sum

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *g-sum (Coblin, 1986)
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *g-sum (Matisoff, STEDT; Benedict, 1972; Chou, 1972; LaPolla, 1987)

This is perhaps the most stable numeral in Proto-Sino-Tibetan, with virtually no daughter language failing to show some reflex of this root. This stability can be attributed to various factors: the stability of the consonants "s" and "m", and the saliency of the numeral itself. The velar prefix g/k- is the only prefix reconstructable for this root (another manifestation of well-preservedness); this is of course disregarding other prefixes in modern languages which resulted from an innovative prefix run in all of the lower numerals, for example Jingpho (m- in 3-5).

Some languages also show vocalism (e.g. Chinese), which some dismiss (somewhat unconvincingly) as secondary development. It is very likely that ablaut of *u ~ *a existed in the proto-language, i.e. *g-sum ⪤ *g-sam, analogous to (Matisoff, 1997).

Numeral

 * 1) three

Descendants

 * Old Chinese:  ("three"),  ("thrice")
 * Note: The initial *sr- in Old Chinese irregularly developed into Middle Chinese *s- (not the expected *ʃ-), possibly due to influence by the next numeral (*s.l- > s-) (⇒ ), .
 * Middle Chinese:


 * Mandarin
 * Beijing: ("three") (sān, )
 * Chengdu:
 * Cantonese
 * Guangzhou:
 * Taishan:
 * Hakka
 * Sixian:
 * Meixian:
 * Wu
 * Shanghai:
 * Min
 * Eastern Min
 * Fuzhou:
 * Northern Min
 * Jian'ou:
 * Southern Min
 * Quanzhou:  (colloquial),  (literary)
 * Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Taipei:  (colloquial),  (literary)
 * (colloquial), (literary)
 * Kamarupan
 * "North Assam"
 * Tani
 * ("three") (Sun, 1993)
 * Kuki-Chin
 * ("three") (VanBik, 2009)
 * Central Chin
 * Lushai [Mizo]:
 * "Naga"
 * Northern Naga/Konyak
 * (French, 1983)
 * Tangkhulic
 * ("three") (Mortensen, 2012)
 * Himalayish
 * Tibeto-Kanauri
 * Bodic
 * Tibetan
 * Written
 * Modern Tibetan (Lhasa):
 * Eastern Bodish:
 * Tamangic/West Bodish
 * (Mazaudon, 1994)
 * Tamang (Sahu):
 * Newar
 * Newar (Dolakhali):
 * Newar (Kathmandu):
 * Mahakiranti
 * Kiranti
 * Eastern Kiranti = Rai
 * Tangut-Qiang
 * Northern Tangut
 * rGyalrongic
 * Jingpho-Asakian
 * Jingpho
 * Jingpho [Kachin]:
 * Sal
 * Bodo-Garo
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * (Bradley, 1979)
 * Northern Loloish
 * Yi (Liangshan):
 * Central Loloish
 * Lisu (Southern): ( /  before most mid tone classifiers)
 * (Luangthongkum, 2013)
 * Baic
 * Bai:
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Burmish
 * (Bradley, 1979)
 * Northern Loloish
 * Yi (Liangshan):
 * Central Loloish
 * Lisu (Southern): ( /  before most mid tone classifiers)
 * (Luangthongkum, 2013)
 * Baic
 * Bai:
 * Baic
 * Bai:
 * Baic
 * Bai:
 * Bai: