Where does “basa” come from?
basa (Bikol Central) comes from Malay baca, from Sanskrit वाचा, from Sanskrit वाच्, from Proto-Indo-Iranian wā́kš, from Proto-Indo-European wṓkʷs, from Proto-Indo-European wekʷ- — to speak, to sound out.
Ancestry of “basa”, step by step
basa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Malay baca
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malay | baca | to read |
| 2 | Sanskrit | वाचा | verbally; oath, holy word, word, sacred text;... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | वाच् | speech, voice, talk, language (also of animals), sound (also of inanimate objects as of the stones used for pressing, of a drum etc.) |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wā́kš | speech, voice; sound? |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wṓkʷs | voice, speech |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |