Ebook: Proto-Lolo-Burmese velar clusters and the origin of Lisu palatal sibilants

An earlier form of this paper was presented at the 34th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics (Kunming, October 2001). — 21 p.The Lisu palatals have multiple origins. One source is the Proto-LoloBurmese palatal initials. Another is Proto-Lolo-Burmese velar clusters with *r or *y. Analysis reveals that the original Lolo-Burmese distinction between clusters such as *kr and *ky, although lost in most environments, is still maintained before high front vowels, resulting in the distinction between [tshii] and [tshi]-type syllables. In this study, the evidence is presented, and a series of sound changes is proposed. Finally, the question of phonemicization of Lisu is revisited from an historical perspective.