| Research Abstract |
0.The Burmish languages other than Burmese are spoken in Kachin State and Shan State, Burma and mainly in Dehong Autonomous Prefecture of Dai and Jingpo Nationality, Yunnan Province, China.
1.As it is one of Burmish languages, any of Maru, Lashi, Atsi, and others share a large portion of vocabulary with Burmese. Among a number of cognate sets, we can find some parallelisms between Burmese and other Burmish languages.
(a) 'wind' 'boat' 'bow' 'heavy', (b) 'ill' 'nose' 'rest' (not in 'listen' 'nearby'), (c) 'black' 'white' 'red' 'brown' 'gray', (d) 'head' 'intestine' 'egg', (e) 'high' 'see' 'horse', (f) 'to rain' 'village', (g) 'ground' 'grandchild', (h) 'stinking' 'to smell', (I) 'house' 'to sleep'.
2.On the other hand, some Maru, Lashi and Atsi forms are apparently cognate with Loloish : 'speech', 'saulty', 'trousers'.
3.We can find Maru, Lashi, and Atsi forms which do not seem to be related to Burmish nor to Loloish : 'sun', 'road', 'flatland', 'sound', 'person'.
(The word/pyu/'person' may be related to a Lahu bound morpheme 'male (of animal)' [Professor J.A.Matisoff's comment on may paper in 30ICSTLL, Beijing, 1997], which is possibly borrowed from Tai 'person' [Matisoff(1988). Dictionary of Lahu. P.828].)
4.Maru, Lashi and Atsi numerals 'two' and 'four' are quite pecurior. These forms are not Lolo-Burmish cognates. The Maru form /SIt/'two' may probably be related to Sgaw Karen /khi/'two'.
5.Maru and Lashi case particle/-yo/and Atsi/-?e?/for instrumental/commitative/ copulative 'by/together with/and' is used parallel to Burmese case particle/-ne/ (WrB.-hnang') 'by/together with/and'.
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