6.0 Verbs of Motion, of Manipulation, and of Production > 6.7 Movement > 6.7.11 Movement (general)

#5808 PTB *da-s CROSS OVER / FORD / FERRY (provisional)

There is a look-alike in Proto-Tai, *da^B2, cf. Siamese thâa. See Li Fang Kuei 1977:104 ‘wharf, ford’. Li notes (p. 105) that in most Central and Northern Tai dialects, this word means ‘river’. This Tai root is very possibly an old loan from Chinese.

Chinese comparandum

渡 OC *d’ɑ̂g, GSR #801b ‘cross over, ford, ferry’; Coblin 86:116 ST *daɣ > OC *dagh; Schuessler 2007:218 *dâkh; B & S 2011: (*dˁak‑s); Mand. dù.

Comment: The Chinese comparandum suggests a PST variant with final velar stop, while the WT allofam 'das seems to indicate suffixal ‑s.