A Comparative Study Of Cognata Words In Chinese And Khmer Language

In the field of Chinese linguistics,it is generally believed that the Austro-Asiatic and Sino-Tibetan languages belong to two different families. However, in recent years, some scholars have put forward that the Mon-Khmer Languages of Austro-Asiatic family and Chinese, Tibeto-Burman, Zhuang and Dong, Miao-Yao languages of traditional Sino-Tibetan family share great similarity in morphology.There are strikng correspondences in the phonological structure of Mon-Khmer and Sino-Tibetan, and consequently they are genetically related. Based on the controversial classification of the Mon-Khmer in the field, an analysis of the comparison and the correspondence of the phonological system of Chinese and Khmer is carried on in this thesis by using the historical comparative method. Some phonological and lexical tie-ups between Chinese and Khmer are used as evidence in the comparison. We try to find out rule of the evolution of Chinese phonology and the similarity shared by Chinese and Khmer by historical comparative study of phonological structure of the minor syllable and lexical forms of Khmer language(There are4rules in the evolution of the minor syllable of Mon-khmer:1. simplification;2. falling;3. merging with the main syllable into a single syllable;4. becoming a general syllable of a binding word.)and to reveal their historical process of evolution in lexical forms. By setting a relation between Sino-Tibetan studies and Austro-Asiatic studis, this paper not only offers substantial evidence to prove that Yue(Mon-lhmer)language is a substratum of Chinese and there is a genetic relation between Khmer and Chinese, but also provides new perspectives and new research ideas for the study of Chinese linguistic circle.