Sound correspondences among Zeme, Liangmai, and Rongmei: a comparative analysis of cognate sets and alternating reflex

Abstract This paper examines the systematic sound correspondences among three closely related languages of the Zeliangrong group – Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei. Through an analysis of both regular cognate sets and alternating reflex correspondences, the study reveals consistent phonological relationships that indicate descent from a common ancestral language. Regular correspondences, particularly in initial consonants and codas, are largely systematic, while certain consonant, vowel and diphthongal alternations show bidirectional variation across the three languages. The analysis interprets these correspondences within the broader Tibeto-Burman context, drawing comparative insights from Proto-Tibeto-Burman (Matisoff, James A. 2003. Handbook of Proto-Tibeto-Burman: System and philosophy of Sino-Tibetan reconstruction . Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press) and related Proto-Kuki-Chin reconstructions (VanBik, Kenneth. 2009. Proto-Kuki-Chin: A reconstructed ancestor of the Kuki-Chin languages . Berkeley: PhD dissertation, University of California). By situating the Zeliangrong data within this wider comparative framework, the study highlights both inherited features and contact-induced developments that have shaped their phonological systems. While it does not attempt a full reconstruction of Proto-Zeliangrong, this synchronic comparative study provides a foundation for tracing the direction of sound change, identifying conservative and innovative patterns and advancing future historical-comparative research on the subgroup’s development.