Khasic languages
The Khasic or Khasian languages are a family of Austroasiatic languages spoken in the northeastern Indian state Meghalaya and neighbouring areas of Bangladesh.
Languages
Sidwell classifies the Khasian languages as follows.;proto-Khasian
Varieties called Bhoi are dialects of both Pnar and Khasi.
External relationships
suggests that Khasian is closely related to Palaungic, forming a Khasi–Palaungic branch.The following eight Khasian-Palaungic isoglosses have been identified by Sidwell.
| Gloss | Proto-Khasian | Proto-Palaungic |
| blood | *snaːm | *snaːm |
| claw/nail | *trʧʰiːm | *rənsiːm |
| hair | *sɲuʔ | *ɲuk |
| man/husband | trmɛ | *-meʔ |
| rain | *slap; slɛ | *clɛʔ |
| swim | *ɟŋiː | *ŋɔj |
| two | *ʔaːr | *ləʔaːr |
| water | *ʔum | *ʔoːm |
Lexical innovations
Sidwell lists the following Khasian lexical innovations.| English gloss | Proto-Khasian | Lyngngam | Maram | Khasi | Pnar | Mnar | War |
| cooked rice | *ʤaː | ʥa | ʤa | ja /ʤaː/ | ʤa | ci | ʧi |
| moon | *bnəːj | bni | bne | bnai /bnaːi/ | bnaj | pni | pnʊ |
| to sing | *rwəːj | rəŋwi | rwej | rwái /rwaːi/ | rwaj | – | rvʊ |
| four | *saːw | saw | saw | sáw /saːw/ | so | sɔu | ria |
| river | *waʔ | – | waɁ | wah /waːʔ/ | waɁ | waɁ | waɁ |
| all | *barɔɁ | prok | barɔʔ | baroh /barɔːʔ/ | warɔʔ | – | bərɒʔ |
| pig | *sniaŋ | sɲaŋ | sniaŋ | sniang /sniaŋ/ | sniaŋ | cʰɲaŋ | rniŋ |
| sand | *ʧʔiap | ʥʔep | ʧiʔɛp | shyiap /ʃʔiap/ | ʧʔiap | ʃʔip | ʃʔiap |
| to drink | *di:ʔ/c | dec | dɔc | dih /diːʔ/ | diʔ | deʔ | deʔ |
| flower/star | *kʰloːr | kʰlor | kʰlɔr | khlúr /kʰloːr/ | kʰlor | – | khlʊə |
| tongue | *tʰnləːc | təloc | tʰl̩let | thyllied /tʰɨlleːc/ | tʰl̩leɟ | kʰlut | kʰlit |
| ice/freeze | *tʰaʔ | tʰaʔ | tʰaʔ | thah /tʰaːʔ/ | tʰaʔ | tʰaʔ | tʰaʔ |
Reconstruction
Proto-Khasian and Proto-Pnar-Khasi-Lyngngam have been reconstructed by Paul Sidwell. Proto-Khasian is estimated to have originated about 2,000-2,500 years ago, with War splitting from other Khasian linguistic varieties about 1,500 years ago.Proto-Khasian morphology includes a causative *pN- prefix and verbalizing *-r- infix.
The following reconstructed paradigmatic and closed class morphemes in Proto-Khasian are from Sidwell.
;Personal pronouns
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural | |
| 1st person | *ŋa ;
| *ŋa ; | *ʔi |
| 2nd person | *me | *pʰa | *pʰi |
| 3rd person | *ʔu | *ka | *ki |
| 3rd person | *ʔi | *ʔi | *ʔi |
;Demonstratives
- *ni 'proximal'
- *tu 'mesiodistal'
- *taj 'distal '
- *te 'mesioproximal'
- *tɛ 'distal '
- *ʔǝm 'not'
- *ham 'do not'
- *ta 'not'
- *ha 'locative/oblique'
- *ʤɔŋ 'to possess'
- *da 'instrumental'
- *ba 'and/with'
- *tV 'oblique'
- *la:j 'to go'
- *dɛp 'finish'
- *diʔ 'to go'
- *daː 'have'
- *ʤuʔ 'same'
- *pN- 'prefix'
- *-r- 'verbalizer'
| Gloss | Proto-Khasian | Proto-Pnar- Khasi-Lyngngam |
| one | *wiː~*miː | |
| one | *ʧiː | |
| two | *ʔaːr | |
| three | *laːj | |
| four | *saːw | |
| five | *san | |
| six | *tʰruː | |
| seven | *ʰnɲəw | |
| eight | *pʰraː | |
| nine | *kʰndaːj | |
| ten | *pʰəw |
Sound changes
Sidwell lists the following sound changes from Pre-Khasian to Proto-Khasian.- Pre-Khasian *b- > *p-, *ɓ- > *b- chain shift
- *Proto-Austroasiatic *b- > proto-Khasian *p-
- *Proto-Austroasiatic *ɓ- > proto-Khasian *b-
- Pre-Khasian *d- > *t-, * ɗ- > *d- chain shift
- *Proto-Austroasiatic *d- > proto-Khasian *t-
- *Proto-Austroasiatic *ɗ- > proto-Khasian *d-
- Pre-Khasian *-l > *-n/*-Ø
- Pre-Khasian *-h > *-s > *-t
- Pre-Khasian *-ʔ > *-Ø >, *-k > *-ʔ chain shift
- Pre-Khasian *g- > *k-