Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/m-lawŋ

Etymology

 * Proto-Sino-Tibetan: ?
 * Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *m-lawŋ (Matisoff, STEDT); *m-loŋ (Matisoff, 2003); *(m-)loŋ (Benedict, 1972; Weidert, 1987)

Old Chinese had two words for “boat”:
 * , ultimately from 🇨🇬. It occurs in Shang bronze inscriptions and was commonly used in central and eastern China.
 * , from this PTB root, is only found in later texts and by Han times had completely replaced the previous synonym. It was used in western China.

The latter character is interpretable as a nominal derivative of the verb (Sagart, 1999). However, an alternative proposal about the origin of PTB *m-lawŋ has been advanced by Sidwell (2006) and Schuessler (2007). They regard it as area word of Austroasiatic descent, possibly from 🇨🇬, whence 🇨🇬. The PMK root may in turn be a deverbal noun from 🇨🇬; compare 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬. This aligns with the fact that, according to the , ancient Chinese canoes were originally hollowed tree trunks. Compare also 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬.

For a similar root in Southeast Asia see also 🇨🇬, whence 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬; and 🇨🇬, whence 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬 (Sidwell, 2006; Blust, ACD).

Noun

 * 1) boat

Descendants

 * Old Chinese: // (B-S),  (ZS) ("boat, ship")
 * Middle Chinese: ("boat, ship")


 * Modern Mandarin
 * Beijing:
 * Wu
 * Shanghai:
 * Yue
 * Cantonese:
 * Min Nan
 * Xiamen:
 * Teochew:
 * (VanBik, 2009)
 * Central Chin
 * Khomic
 * Naga
 * Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
 * Lolo-Burmese
 * Loloish:
 * *loŋ¹ ~ *loŋ² (Bradley, 1979)
 * Yi:
 * Burmish
 * Written
 * Yi:
 * Burmish
 * Written