Reconstruction:Proto-Austroasiatic/ca(ː)ʔ

This Proto-Austroasiatic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

• Proto-Austroasiatic: *ca(ː)ʔ (Sidwell, 2024, #AA020)
• Proto-Mon-Khmer: *caʔ (Shorto, 2006, #8)

Compare Proto-Sino-Tibetan *dzaʔ (“to eat”) and Proto-Austronesian *kaən (“to eat”).

The Munda forms (such as Santali ᱡᱚᱢ (jôm)) are not descendants of this root, but related to Riang suam¹, Lamet sɔːm instead.

As a bare root, this Austroasiatic item most likely does not have any Munda descendant. However, words such as Bondo ǰama ("jaw") likely reflect an infixed form (nominalizing *-m-) of this root. Compare Proto-Nicobarese *saː (“to eat”) (whence Central Nicobarese shâ) vs. Proto-Nicobarese *samaː (“jaw”) (whence Central Nicobarese shama).

Aslian, Bahnaric, Katuic, Khasian (although not in mainstream Khasi), Khmeric, Khmuic, Mang, Monic inherited the bare root. Munda and Vietic inherited only the -m- infixed form. Palaungic, Nicobarese, Pearic have both (although with semantic shifts, the bare root came to mean "morning" (time to eat) in Palaungic, while the infixed form became "gills" in Pearic).

*ca(ː)ʔ

1. to eat

• Aslian: *caaʔ (Phillips, 2012)
  • Jah Hut: caʔ
  • Jahaic:
    • Cheq Wong: cəʔ
    • Kensiu: ciʔ
  • Senoic:
    • Semai: chaaq
    • Temiar: caak
  • Semelaic:
    • Mah Meri: ca
    • Semaq Beri: ca
    • Semelai: ca
• Proto-Bahnaric: *caː (Sidwell, 2011) (see there for further descendants)
• Proto-Katuic: *caː (Sidwell, 2005)
  • Bru: caː
  • Kui: caː
  • Ngeq: caː
  • Pacoh: cha
• Khasian:
  • Pnar-Khasi-Lyngngam:
    • Maharam: sa
• Khmeric:
  • Old Khmer: cya ("to eat")
    • Middle Khmer: sìː ("to eat")
      • Modern Khmer: ស៊ី (sii, “to eat, to consume”), បន្ស៊ី (bɑnsii, “to feed”)

        perhaps also

        ឆាន់ (cʰan, “to eat, to drink, to consume”)

        ឆី (cʰəy, “to eat (poetic)”)

        ចំណុក (cɑmnok, “food, victuals”)

        ចំណី (cɑmnəy, “dessert; feed, fodder”)

      • Northern Khmer: ซี
• Proto-Khmuic: *caː (Sidwell, 2013)
• Mangic:
  • Mang: θaː³
• Monic:

  /*caaʔ/ (Diffloth, 1986)

  • Old Mon: caʔ
    • Modern Mon: စ (cɛˀ, “to eat”), စၞ (kənaˀ, “food”), ဗ္စ (həcɛˀ, “to feed”)
• Nicobarese: *saː (Sidwell, 2018)
  • Central Nicobarese:
    • Nancowry: shâ
• Palaungic: *caːʔ (“morning”) (Sidwell, 2015) (see there for further descendants)
• Pearic:

  /*caː/ (Headley, 1985)