Proto-Tai

Proto-language (reconstructed) · historical / hidden variety

FamilyProto-language (reconstructed) SpeakersExtinct (hypothetical) ScriptNone / reconstructed CountriesGuangxi–Guangdong border, southern China (hypothetical) Official inNone Vitalityextinct

Proto-Tai is the reconstructed ancestor of the Tai branch of the Kra-Dai family — Thai, Lao, Shan, Zhuang, Bouyei and their relatives. Pittayaporn (2009) places it in the Guangxi–Guangdong border region of southern China around two thousand years ago, before the migrations that carried Tai speakers south and west into what are now Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. It is among the best-reconstructed proto-languages of mainland Southeast Asia: the consonant clusters and the four-way tone system (A, B, C, D) that the modern languages inherited can be recovered in detail. The wider Kra-Dai family, which also takes in Hlai, Kam-Sui, Ong-Be and Kra, is reconstructed far more thinly, and its forms are not shown here.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Proto-Tai

Water

*nam

nam

Fire

*wɤj

wɤj

Sun

—

—

Moon

*ɓlɯən

ɓlɯən

Star

*naːw

naːw

Night

*ɣɯːn

ɣɯːn

Rain

*wɯn

wɯn

Wind

*lɯm

lɯm

Earth

*ɗin

ɗin

Stone

*triːl

triːl

Mountain

*doːj

doːj

Mother

*meː

meː

Father

*boː

boː

I

*kuː

kuː

You

*mɯŋ

mɯŋ

We

—

—

Name

*ɟɤː

ɟɤː

Person

*ɢwɯn

ɢwɯn

Head

*truə

truə

Eye

*taː

taː

Ear

*krwɯː

krwɯː

Nose

*ɗaŋ

ɗaŋ

Mouth

*paːk

paːk

Tooth

*wan

wan

Tongue

*liːn

liːn

Hand

*mwɯː

mwɯː

Foot

*tiːn

tiːn

Heart

*cɤɰ

cɤɰ

Bone

*duk

duk

Blood

*lɯət

lɯət

Poop

*qɯj

qɯj

Love

—

—

Tree

*mwaj

mwaj

Dog

*ʰmaː

ʰmaː

Cat

—

—

Fish

*plaː

plaː

Bird

*nok

nok

Egg

*qraj

qraj

Bear

*ʰmwɯj

ʰmwɯj

Horse

*maː

maː

House

*rɤːn

rɤːn

Salt

*klwɯə

klwɯə

Rice

*qaw

qaw

Iron

*ʰlek

ʰlek

Eat

*kɯɲ

kɯɲ

Drink

—

—

Sleep

*nwɯːn

nwɯːn

One

*nɯːŋ

nɯːŋ

Two

*soːŋ

soːŋ

Three

*saːm

saːm

Four

*siː

siː

Five

*haː

haː

Hundred

*rɔːj

rɔːj

Hello

—

—

Thank you

—

—

Good

*ɗɤj

ɗɤj

New

*ʰmɤːl

ʰmɤːl

Red

*dwiːŋ

dwiːŋ

White

*xaːw

xaːw

Black

*dam

dam

Green

*xiəw

xiəw

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Proto-language (reconstructed)

Meaning Proto-TaiSukhothai ThaiTai LueTai DamNorthern ThaiSouthern ThaiIsan
Water *nam /nam/ น้ำ /naːm/ ᦓᧄᧉ /nam/ ꪙꪾꫂ /nam˧˩ˀ/ น้ำ /nam˦˥/ น้ำ /nam˧˥/ น้ำ /nam˦˥/
Fire *wɤj /wɤj/ ไฟ /vaj/ ᦺᦝ /fai/ ꪼꪡ /faj˥/ ไฟ /faj˥/ ไฟ /faj˥/ ไฟ /faj˥/
Sun — /—/ ตะวัน /tawan/ ᦎᦱᦞᧃ /taː van/ ꪔꪱꪹꪫꪸꪙ /taː˨ven˥/ ตะวัน /ta˨˩wan˥/ ตะวัน /ta˨˩wan˥/ ตะเว็น /ta˨˩wen˥/
Moon *ɓlɯən /ɓlɯən/ เดือน /ʔdɯːan/ ᦵᦡᦲᧃ /dɤn/ ꪹꪚꪙ /bɯən˨/ เดือน /dɯːan˥/ เดือน /dɯan˥/ เดือน /dɯan˥/
Star *naːw /naːw/ ดาว /ʔdaːw/ ᦡᦱᧁ /daːw˧/ ꪒꪱꪫ /daːw˨/ ดาว /daːw˧/ ดาว /daːw˥/ ดาว /daːw˧/
Night *ɣɯːn /ɣɯːn/ คืน /kʰɯːn/ ᦆᦹᧃ /xɨn/ ꪁꪳꪙ /kɯn˥/ คืน /kʰɯːn˧/ คืน /kʰɯːn˥/ คืน /kʰɯːn˧/
Rain *wɯn /wɯn/ — ᦚᦳᧃ /fun/ ꪶꪠꪙ /fon˨/ ฝน /fɔn˩˧/ ฝน /fɔn˩˧/ ฝน /fɔn˩˧/
Wind *lɯm /lɯm/ — ᦟᦳᧄ /lum/ ꪶꪩꪣ /lom˥/ ลม /lom˧/ ลม /lom˥/ ลม /lom˧/
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Han readings compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Tai-Kadai > Tai (proto)

Character Proto-TaiThaiSawndip ZhuangOld Sino-VietnameseCantoneseHong Kong CantoneseMacau Cantonese
一 *ɲɯŋ.A /*ɲɯŋ˧/ et /ʔet̚˨˩/ ndeu /ɗeːu˨˦/ — jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/
二 *soːŋ.A /*soːŋ˧/ yi /jiː˥˩/ song /θoːŋ˨˦/ nhì /ɲi˨˩/ ji6 /jiː˨/ ji6 /jiː˨/ ji6 /jiː˨/
三 *saːm.A /*saːm˧/ sam /saːm˩˩˦/ sam /θaːm˨˦/ — saam1 /saːm˥/ saam1 /saːm˥/ saam1 /saːm˥/
四 *siː.B /*siː˨/ si /siː˨˩/ seiq /θei˧˥/ tư /tɨ˧˧/ sei3 /sei˧/ sei3 /sei˧/ sei3 /sei˧/
五 *haː.C /*haː˥˩/ ha /haː˥˩/ haj /ha˥/ — ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/
六 *hrok.D /*hrok̚/ hok /hok̚˨˩/ roek /ɣok̚˥/ — luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/
七 *cet.D /*cet̚/ chet /tɕet̚˨˩/ caet /ɕat̚˥/ — cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/
八 *peːt.D /*peːt̚/ paet /pɛːt̚˨˩/ bet /peːt̚˧˥/ — baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/
九 *kɤw.C /*kɤw˥˩/ kao /kaw˥˩/ gouj /kou˥/ — gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/
十 *sip.D /*sip̚/ sip /sip̚˨˩/ cib /ɕip̚˧/ — sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/
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