sặc sỡ

Vietnamese

Etymology

From Middle Vietnamese sắc ſỡ [ʂak^B1 ʂəː^C2]. The unexpected tone change is probably due to tonal assimilation, from B1-C2 with different registers to B2-C2 on the same lower register.

The first element is therefore obviously sắc (色); it is unclear if the second element was generated from reduplication, or is simply an obscure fossilized part.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [sak̚˧˨ʔ səː˦ˀ˥]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂak̚˨˩ʔ ʂəː˧˨] ~ [sak̚˨˩ʔ səː˧˨]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʂak̚˨˩˨ ʂəː˨˩˦] ~ [sak̚˨˩˨ səː˨˩˦]

Adjective

sặc sỡ

1. colorful