Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/lak ~ C-jak

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *lək (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *lak ~ C-jak (Matisoff, STEDT); *lak (Benedict, 1972; Coblin, 1986; Michailovsky, 1991); *g-lɑk (Chou, 1972); *g-lak ~ lak (Weidert, 1987)

This root is widely attested in Sino-Tibetan languages, and exhibits considerable morphophonemic and lexemical variation. The basic form of the root seems to be *lak, and in some languages the initial has changed into a yod *jak, which may further fricatise into z- or ʑ-. To the yodated form can various prefixes be added.

With *d- this prefixation gives *d-jak, another common allofam, which can undergo affricatisation to yield dʑ- or prefix preemption to yield *dak. Note that *dak may as well result from delateralisation of *l-, presumably through an intermediate stage *ʎ- < *lj-. Some languages show forms which seem to have arisen from *ld-, either through reprefixation *lə- on *d- prefixed allofams or metathesis of the *d- prefixed allofam *ld- < *d-l-.

With *g- prefixation gives *g-jak, with secondary meanings such as "cubit, armpit".

With *p- prefixation gives *p-jak, represented mainly by Written Tibetan ཕྱག (phyag, "hand (honorific)").

Note that this root bears some interesting resemblance to *la ~ ja (“leg, foot”), *p(l)a (“palm, sole”) and *s-la(p) ~ laj (“leaf”).

The following allofams are listed in STEDT:

• 1 #377 *lak ⪤ C-jak ("arm, hand, wing")
  • 1a #695 *lak ("hand, limb")
  • 1b #696 *jak ("arm, hand, armpit, tickle")
  • 1c #699 *d-jak ("hand, arm, leaf")
  • 1d #700 *dak ("arm, hand")
  • 1e #702 *g-jak ("arm, hand, cubit")
  • 1f #705 *p-jak ("arm")
  • 1g #350 *la ("leg, foot")
  • 1h #375 *ja ("leg, foot")
  • 1i #888 *d-ja OR g-ja ("foot")

The Chinese word for "hand" 手 (shǒu) is unrelated.

*lak ~ C-jak

1. hand
2. arm, limb
3. wing
4. cubit, armpit

• Old Chinese:

  翼 (*ɢrək < **ɢrəp (Baxter-Sagart); *lɯɡ (Zhengzhang Shangfang), “wing; to support with hand; to help”)

  亦 (yì), 腋 (*m-qak (Baxter-Sagart); *laːɡ (Zhengzhang Shangfang), “armpit”)

  掖 (*laːɡ (Zhengzhang Shangfang), “to support somebody with hand; armpit”)

  胳 (*klaːɡ (Zhengzhang Shangfang), “armpit”)

  袼 (*klaːɡ (Zhengzhang Shangfang), “sleeve suture”)

  • Middle Chinese: 翼 (jɨk); 亦 (yì), 腋 (yè), 掖 (jiᴇk); 胳, 袼 (kɑk)
    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing:

        翼 (yì, /i⁵¹/, “wing”)

        亦 (yì, /i⁵¹/, “armpit”)

        腋 (yè, /i̯ɛ⁵¹/, “armpit”)

        掖 (yè, /i̯ɛ⁵¹/, “to support somebody with hand; armpit”); 掖 (yē, /i̯ɛ⁵⁵/, “to tuck in”)

        胳 (gē, /kɤ⁵⁵/, “armpit, to tickle”); (colloquial in 咯吱窩／咯吱窝) 咯 (gā, /ka⁵⁵/)

        袼 (gē, /kɤ⁵⁵/, “sleeve suture”)

• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: ལག (lag), ལག་པ (lag pa, “hand, arm”), ཕྱག (phyag, “hand (honorific)”)
• Tangut-Qiang
  • Northern Tangut
    • Tangut: 𗁅 (*lạ¹, “hand”)
  • rGyalrongic
    • Zbu: jâx
• Sal
  • Bodo-Garo
    • Garo: jak (“hand”)
• Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  • Lolo-Burmese
    • Burmish
      • Written Burmese: လက် (lak, “hand, arm”)
      • Maruic
        • Lashi: lò
    • Loloish
      • Northern Loloish
        • Yi (Liangshan): ꇇ (lot, “hand”)
    • Naic
      • Namuyi: lä̆qä̆

• *la ~ ja (“leg, foot”)
• *p(l)a (“palm, sole”)
• *s-la(p) ~ laj (“leaf”)
• *wa ~ wu (“bird, feather, wing”)