“荔枝”源于侗台语考

A Textual Research on the Kam-Tai Origin of Lizhi “Lychee”

荔枝起源于中国。关于"荔枝"名称与读音,目前主流的解释是以汉语释义为依据,但存在语音、词义等方面的问题。汉语的"荔枝"应是源于侗台语,在壮语、黎语等语言中有不少例证。

Lychee （Litchi chinensis） is an important plant species originated from China. Traditionally there have been different opinions and debates on the meaning and pronunciation of ＂lizhi＂, the Chinese name of this plant. Current mainstream interpretations are usually based on the Chinese characters coding ＂lizhi＇, but still problems remain concerning the pronunciation, and meaning of this word. Based on linguistic evidence and textual research, it is proposed in this paper that ＂lychee＂ should have been derived from Kam-Tai languages, as attested by its counterparts in Kam-Tai languages such as Zhuang, Li and other languages.