Editing Min Chinese (section)

==Vocabulary==
Most Min vocabulary corresponds directly to cognates in other Chinese varieties, but there are also a significant number of distinctively Min words that may be traced back to proto-Min.
In some cases a semantic shift has occurred in Min or the rest of Chinese:

* *tiaŋ<sup>B</sup> 鼎 "wok". The Min form preserves the original meaning "cooking pot", but in other Chinese varieties this word (MC {{tlit|zh|tengX}} > ''dǐng'') has become specialized to refer to [[Ding (vessel)|ancient ceremonial tripods]].{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=231}}
* *dzhən<sup>A</sup> "rice field". In Min, this form has displaced the common Chinese term ''tián'' 田.{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=58}}{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=231–232}} Many scholars identify the Min word with ''chéng'' 塍 (MC {{tlit|zh|zying}}) "raised path between fields", but Norman argues that it is cognate with ''céng'' 層 (MC ''dzong'') "additional layer or floor", reflecting the [[terrace (agriculture)|terrace]]d fields commonly found in Fujian.{{sfnp|Baxter|Sagart|2014|pp=59–60}}
* *tšhio<sup>C</sup> 厝 "house".{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=47}} Norman argues that the Min word is cognate with ''shù'' 戍 (MC syuH) "to guard".{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=232}}{{sfnp|Baxter|Sagart|2014|p=33}}
* *tshyi<sup>C</sup> 喙 "mouth". In Min this form has displaced the common Chinese term ''kǒu'' 口.{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=41}} It is believed to be cognate with ''huì'' 喙 (MC ''xjwojH'') "beak, bill, snout; to pant".{{sfnp|Baxter|Sagart|2014|p=33}}

Norman and Mei Tsu-lin have suggested an Austroasiatic origin for some Min words:

* *-dəŋ<sup>A</sup> "shaman" may be compared with [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] ''đồng'' (/ɗoŋ<sup>2</sup>/) "to shamanize, to communicate with spirits" and [[Mon language|Mon]] doŋ "to dance (as if) under demonic possession".{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=18–19}}{{sfnp|Norman|Mei|1976|pp=296–297}}
* *kiɑn<sup>B</sup> 囝 "son" appears to be related to Vietnamese ''con'' (/kɔn/) and Mon kon "child".{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=63}}{{sfnp|Norman|Mei|1976|pp=297–298}}

However, Norman and Mei Tsu-lin's suggestion is rejected by Laurent Sagart (2008),<ref name="Sagart" /> with some linguists arguing that the Austroasiatic predecessor of the modern Vietnamese language originated in the mountainous region in Central Laos and Vietnam, rather than in the region north of the [[Red River delta]].<ref name="Chamberlain">Chamberlain, J.R. 1998, "[http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/chamberlain1998origin.pdf The origin of Sek: implications for Tai and Vietnamese history]", in The International Conference on Tai Studies, ed. S. Burusphat, Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 97-128. Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol University.</ref>

In other cases, the origin of the Min word is obscure. Such words include:
* *khau<sup>A</sup> 骹 "foot"{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=44}}
* *-tsiɑm<sup>B</sup> 䭕 "insipid"{{sfnp|Norman|1981|p=56}}
* *dzyŋ<sup>C</sup> 𧚔 "to wear"{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=232}}