A View on Proto-Karen Phonology and Lexicon

Abstract

The reconstruction of Proto-Karen (PK) has previously been attempted and presented in different ways by scholars, leading to some serious disagreements on some major points. To offer another new look at PK based only on fresh data collected by myself (except Bwe), the PK phonology and lexicon with 341 entries were reconstructed. Deliberately, available documented materials on the Karenic languages since 1799 onwards were not used for this reconstruction although they were consulted. The reconstruction is based on a 2,000-item word list with English and Thai glosses of ten selected Karenic varieties spoken in Thailand, i.e. Northern Pa-O and Southern Pa-O (Northern branch, NK); Kayan, Kayah, Bwe (from Henderson 1997) and Kayaw (Central branch, CK); Northern Sgaw, Southern Sgaw, Northern Pwo and Southern Pwo (Southern branch, SK). For comparative purposes, only the obvious cognates found in at least two of the three branches were used. In following this method, most of the items in my field notes had to be eliminated. The correspondence patterns of onsets, rhymes and tones were investigated and, then, the protoforms were reconstructed and compared with the previous PK reconstructions and with the PTB forms reconstructed by Benedict (1972) and Matisoff (2003).