Altaic Research Articles

Animals of the Mustelid Family in the Linguistic Picture of the World of the Altaians

Purpose. The article describes zoonyms of the Altai language and folklore denoting mustelids, representatives of the fauna of the Altai Mountains. This lexical-semantic group of lexemes in the Altai linguistic culture has not been thoroughly studied yet. The identification of the lexical potential of zoonyms denoting mammals of the mustelid family provide information about the etymology, dialect variants, donative and connotative features that express ideas about those animals in the language and folklore of the Altaians, and their mythological context of use.Results. Lexical meanings of zoonyms have been identified and established: agas /aas ‘ermine’, kish ‘sable’, borsuk ‘badger’, jeeken ‘wolverine’, saras ‘kolinsky’, ‘weasel’, kushkuly/kalazak ‘weasel’, suzar ‘marten’, ‘mink’, toktonok ‘weasel’. Of these, the general Turkic layer of vocabulary includes: agas ‘ermine’, suzar ‘marten’, kish ‘sable’, borsuk ‘badger’, küzen/joonmoiyn ‘ferret’, jeeken ‘wolverine’. Denotative and connotative features that characterize animals are presented in various folklore and literary texts that provide information about their color, body structure, habitat, and their habits.Conclusion. In the religious and mythological picture of the world of the Altaians, such animals as kish/albaa ‘sable’, agas ‘ermine’ were revered totem animals. In relation to these animals, there were certain rules of behavior during the hunt. These factors influenced the development of a system of euphemisms in the language of hunters, formed with the help of such linguistic means of objectifying concepts as metaphor and metonymy.

Morphological and Lexical-semantic Features of Butterfly Names in the Altai Language

Morphological and Lexical-semantic Features of Butterfly Names in the Altai Language

АЛТАЙ ТИЛДЕРИНДЕГИ ОЮНДАРДЫ ЧАГЫЛДЫРГАН ТЕРМИНДЕР

In the article the names of games in Korean with the Turkic languages of the Altai language group in the field of linguoculture, an attempt was made to study the place and position of the Korean language among the Altai languages on the basis of scientific research. The aim was to clarify whether there are terms related to the national games of the peoples speaking the Altai languages and the relationship between the Turkic languages and the Korean language. The article analyzes the content of the games and the language tools used in this game, as well as the main tools. Using the works of scientists who have made a great contribution to the theory of the Altai language, you can achieve significant results if you pay attention to the cultural direction. Therefore, it is necessary to look at the problem not only from a linguistic, but also from a cultural point of view.

An Archaic Compound Suffix in Old Uyghur: +DXrtI

As many world languages, Turkic also has simple suffixes in terms of structure, as well as complex suffixes with controversial origins. Although some of these suffixes have been systematized and bound to certain rules, the emergence of some suffixes still remains a mystery. Old Uyghur, which is one of the historical periods of the Turkic language, has such an undeciphered suffix. The compound suffix of +DXrtI has been evaluated by some researchers to date; however, no definite conclusion has been reached regarding its origin and function. For this purpose, various structures in Altaic languages will be examined and a connection will be made between this suffix and the ‘extraordinary’ examples seen in Old Uyghur.

Происхождение и лексико-семантическая характеристика цветообозначения ерән ‘рыжий’ в башкирском языке

The article examines the origin, historical development and semantics of the word yeran ‘red’ in the Bashkir language. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Bashkir linguistics, this color designation is subjected to a comprehensive etymological, comparative historical, and lexico-semantic analysis. During the scientific analysis, it was revealed that the yeran ‘red’ lexeme is characterized by an ancient origin: scientists have restored its proto-Turkic (*jẹgre-n ‘red (about the color of a horse); deer, gazelle, antelope’), proto-Altai (*negre ‘type of deer’) forms. It is established that the first fixation of the word falls on the ancient Turkic period. The word is found in almost all Turkic languages in the meaning of ‘red color of a horse or other animals’, in Kipchak – in the designation of red hair, mustache, beard, in some Turkic languages – as the names of animals ‘roe deer, gazelle, antelope’ (‘roe deer’, ‘gazelle’, ‘antelope’). It is assumed that jagren ‘chestnut’ in the Turkic languages originally meant the color of the horse’s skin, over time the semantics of the word expanded – it began to be applied to the color of human hair, then gradually to all objects of reddish color, reddish hue. In Bashkir, eran, like the reflexes *jẹgre-n in many Turkic languages, functions in the meanings of ‘red (about the suit, about the hair, mustache, beard)’. Related lexemes are found in other Altaic languages: in Korean and Tungusic-Manchurian languages, they are used in the meanings of ‘roe deer’, ‘vazhenka (female reindeer)’. In the Mongolian and Tungusic-Manchu languages, the meaning of the word ‘red horse color’ is a Turkic loan. The Turkic word entered the Russian language as well: Igreny ‘light red (about horse color)’.

On the Distribution and Origin of Sortal Classifiers in Altaic Languages (in Chinese)

The grammatical feature of sortal classifiers, common in East and Southeast Asian languages, is also found in 15 of the 65 Altaic languages we have examined, though the classifiers are far fewer and used optionally. These observations suggest that the Altaic classifier systems are not indigenous. Based on the Single Origin Hypothesis that Chinese is the only language with an indigenous classifier system in Eurasia, we propose that the rise of classifiers in Altaic is due to the influence of neighboring classifier languages. Having first confirmed that the putative classifiers in these 15 languages are genuine classifiers, we then examine the phonological and semantic characteristics of the classifiers identified in each language and detect the influence from either Chinese or Persian. Taking historical and geographical factors into consideration, we suggest that classifier languages east of Uyghur were influenced by Chinese, while those to the west are influenced by Persian; Uyghur itself was influenced by both. Assuming that Persian classifiers are not indigenous either, these findings suggest that the Single Origin Hypothesis is applicable to classifier languages in Altaic.

Matrilineal and Patrilineal Genetic Continuity of Two Iron Age Individuals from a Pazyryk Culture Burial

In this study, geographic and linguistic distributions of contemporary and ancient matches with the
 paternal and maternal lineages of two individuals exhumed from the exemplary Pazyryk culture burial site of Ak-Alakha-1 mound 1 were investigated. Using the shared paternal and maternal haplotypes observed in both ancient individuals, extensive database and literature searches were conducted revealing numerous full matches among contemporary Eurasians, majority of whom speak Altaic Languages. Despite the current focus on the two Pazyryk individuals, a rare glimpse into the ancient migrations was gained through the discovery of paternal and maternal haplotype matches across an immense geography that spans from Yakutia to Turkey. In addition to a vast array of archaeological findings in such Scythian “frozen graves” across Central Asia, accumulating archaeogenetic data are expected to shed light on the anthropology of these otherwise mysterious people.

Korean language attitude in the Altai language system

The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest of the scientific community in constructing typologies of linguistic features of the Korean language in its relation to the Altai language system. A review of research shows that to date, discussions regarding the place of the Korean language in the Altai language system continue, since there are no uniform criteria by which to describe the relationship of these two languages. The purpose of the article is to systematize the features that allow us to determine the place of the Korean language in the Altai language system. Objectives: provide an overview of studies of the Altai language system; consider arguments about the relationship between the Korean and Altai languages; consider criticism of the theory of kinship between the Korean and Altaic languages. Research methods: systematization, generalization, description, comparison, critical analysis. It has been established that even if we completely deny the family connection between the theory of the Altaic language family and the Korean language, it is still possible to establish a friendly connection between them, which can be taken as a research hypothesis. This is made possible by the fact that the common elements that have been clearly outlined so far exist, albeit in meager quantities. If these elements were not borrowed, it would be difficult to conclude that this is a coincidence. However, it does not seem convincing that the scant data is sufficient to prove the kinship of Koreans and Altai. In this situation, just as it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion that the Korean language has a related relationship with the Altai language or the Altai language family, it is also impossible to conclude that there are no such relationships at all. It is true that the origins of the Korean language are still unclear. Since the existing theory of the Altaic language family and the theory of kinship with Korean were accepted almost without criticism, the counter-arguments against them can be equally strong. However, there are significant differences between these views. Some say this completely refutes conventional wisdom, while others say it is a hypothesis that has not yet been proven. The prospects for the study are seen in the systematization of linguistic typological features of the Korean language in its relation to the Altai language system.

Сравнительный аффикс -ДЫй и модально-сравнительные показатели, образованные на его основе (на материале алтайского языка)

The paper examines the semantics and functioning of the comparative affix -DYy and modal-comparative markers derived from this affix in the Altai language. -DYy is a common marker in comparative constructions indicating a realistic comparison. Originating as a postposition, it frequently appears in various Turkic languages. In the Altai language, the status of this affix is not unambiguous, being commonly categorized as a postposition-affix, case form, or derivational morpheme. It signifies the comparative relationships of similarity between situations or objects. In modern Altai, -DYy is a part of two participle affixes, namely the comparative -GAndYy and -GAdYy denoting possibility or suggestion and a part of the modal particle nemediy (as if). All these markers are found to preserve, to varying degrees, the semantics of comparison carried by the affix -DYy, and then to develop the semantics of modality. The -GAndYy participles form synthetic comparative polypredicative constructions, with the standard of comparison thought of as not actually existing but serving as an ideal or standard for some event. The -GAdYy participles denote the semantics of potential possibility and suggestion. The particle nemediy conveys the modal meaning of seemingness and probability of action. All the markers under consideration can denote seemingness when combined with verbs of perception. The semantics analysis of the markers containing -DYy has revealed the connection between non-real comparison and modality and the development of semantics of appearance, with the possibility being the next stage of semantic development.

Семантика глаголов перемещения объекта в хакасском и алтайском языках

The paper deals with the semantic features of verbs of object transfer in Khakass and Altaic languages. The use of lexemes describing the situation of physical transfer with subjects and objects of different types is analyzed. An attempt has been made to systematize verbs by components incorporated into semantics. All these verbs include obligatory signs characteristic of the situation of transfer (semantics of transfer, starting and ending points, object and subject of action). Besides, these tokens contain additional components incorporated into their semantics: “the path,” “route,” “manner of transfer transfer,” “means of transfer” (“transport” and “tool”), and “object.” According to the typological classification developed by L. Talmi, the Turkic languages belong to the verbal type, with their verb roots expressing an indication of the “the path.” The verbs with an incorporated “manner of transfer” component can have their “direction” parameter specified with satellites. The subject of the verbs under study can be a person, less often an animal, or a technical means. When secondary meanings of physical action are expressed, the subject can be expressed by natural phenomena and objects (wind, river, waves). The objects of physical movement are represented by various physical objects and living beings. The examined languages exhibit considerable resemblance in terms of the composition and semantic structures of the verbs associated with transfer. Each language has its own set of verbs used in everyday life and work activities of specific ethnic and linguistic groups.

Назализованные гласные алтайского языка по данным назографии и спектрографии

The paper presents the examination of the vowel nasalization in the Altai language. The study involved an experiment on nasography. A native speaker of the Altai language recited a program comprising 180 lexemes in an isolated context, repeating it three times. The speech was captured by the icSpeech dualmicrophone system that allows sound from the mouth and nose to be recorded separately. The recordings were annotated using the Praat software and then analyzed with the Emu-SDMS corpus system using the R programming language. The nasality coefficient was calculated by comparing sound levels across channels. Vowels before nasal consonants exhibited a slow increase in nasality coefficient, gradually transitioning from a low to a medium level during vowel lengthening. Vowels following nasal consonants exhibited pronounced nasalization, with a heightened nasality level at the vowel onset and a consistent mid-level nasality throughout its duration. Vowels between two nasal consonants had a combination of these two types: high nasality level in the beginning, then nasality fall followed by slow growth. The average nasality coefficients for pure vowels were 6030 units, for prenasal vowels were 9860 units, for postnasal vowels were 16990 units, and for internasal vowels were 18290 units. Next, the spectra of nasalized and non-nasalized vowels were compared. The formant frequencies and levels were measured using the Praat software. The data shows a significant decrease in F1 level for nasalized vowels as opposed to non-nasalized vowels. The phenomenon can be attributed to the initial nasal antiresonance, correlating with acoustical models and typological data.

Рассказ А. И. Макаровой-Мирской «Камланье»: историко-литературный комментарий

The paper presents the first examination of the sources of a shamanic ritual storyline in the short story “Kamlan’e” (Shamanic séance/ritual) by A. I. Makarova-Mirskaya published in the collection “Altayskie rasskazy” (Altai stories) in 1912. The writer fictionalizes the ethnographic material and integrates it into the literary plot frame of “a child watching a shaman’s kamlan’e from a hiding place.” The main character is an Altai boy brought to the shaman by his parents. The young boy observes a sacrificial act during his first experience of a shamanic ritual. Horrified by this experience, he runs away, gets lost, and eventually finds refuge with a family of Russian Orthodox settlers. When the parents find the child, he does not want to see the kamas; he wants them to leave Altai. Thus, the story features both psychologism and criticism of shamanic rituals, combined with a detailed ethnographic depiction of the performance. The narration includes a passage in the Altai language: a speech of the shaman during the various stages of the ritual, each commented on and explained. The depiction of the shamanic ceremony aligns with the accounts published in the Tomsk periodical press in 1869 and 1890. The primary sources for all those texts were the notes of V. I. Verbitsky, published in 1893 as a book titled “Altayskie inorodtsy” (Altai aliens). It is worth mentioning that the book, being addressed to children, was intended to be both educational and highly moral.

Проблема палатальности и палатализованности в разносистемных языках Сибири (по данным МРТ)

The paper considers the phonetic characteristics of nasal palatalized and non-palatalized sounds of the German Mennonite language (self-name Plautdietsch) and the Altai language and nasal forelingual and oral backlingual sounds of the Russian language. Given the strong influence of Russian on Altai and Plautdietsch, the objective is to determine if Russian palatalization, which structures the whole consonant system and is a constitutive-differential feature, influences the other languages under study. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the articulation features and reveal the constitutive differential parameters characteristic of the phonetic subsystem of palatalized phonemes. Nineteen tomograms with target sounds were described and analyzed following the methodology of the V. M. Nadelyaev Laboratory of Experimental Phonetic Researches of the Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The MRI images demonstrate that the articulation of palatalized sounds involves the elevation of the middle and back parts of the tongue towards the boundary between the hard and soft palate. The production of palatalized sounds in the Russian language is found to be characterized by the advancement of the tongue body to the front part of the oral cavity. The study findings indicate that palatalization may not always produce an acoustic effect of softness. This research contributes to the understanding of the articulatory mechanisms and phonetic features of palatalized sounds in the languages under consideration, highlighting the interplay between language contact and phonetic adaptation.

Коартикуляция по палатальности в алтайском языке по данным УЗИ в динамическом аспекте

The paper explores the movement of the tongue dorsum in phonetic words of the Altai language. The data were collected using Articulate Instruments equipment and Articulate Assistant Advanced software, employing the ultrasound imaging technique. The focus was on several monosyllabic lexemes with a “plosive vowel nasal” structure. Every word was recorded three times in an isolated context. The audio recording, synchronized in time with the ultra-sound image, was segmented and annotated based on auditory and acoustic analysis in the Praat program. The statistical analysis was performed using the R programming language. The dorsum movement was represented as a series of static frames at 10 ms intervals. The time-mapping approach was used to calculate the coefficients capturing the dorsum uplift at different time intervals, with time dynamics described as a bundle of contours for each phonetic word. The point coefficient was determined based on the highest dorsum point, indicating the elevated section of the dorsum. The height coefficient was calculated as a vertical coordinate of the highest point. These coefficients were used to determine dorsum distance from the articulation center, identify vowel row and openness, and recognize basic and additional palatal or velar articulation in consonants. The study found that in soft-type words, the dorsum uplift was consistent throughout the word, resulting in palatalized consonants. In hard-type words with dorsal consonants, the dorsum raise was limited to the beginning of the following vowel and then lowered, indicating coarticulation movement. The paper describes this process in terms of structural phonology and gestural theory.

КОННОТАТИВНЫЕ ЗНАЧЕНИЯ ЗООНИМОВ, ОБОЗНАЧАЮЩИХ ДИКИХ ЖИВОТНЫХ, В АЛТАЙСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ

The purpose of this paper is to identify the lexical and semantic features of the connotation of zoonyms denoting wild animals in the Altai language. The relevance of the work is due to the lack of a comprehensive study of the connotative meanings of zoonyms in the Altai language. The subject of the study is zoomorphisms that designate representatives of different families (bears, canines, deer, mustelids, squirrels) and are used in human nominations. One of the tasks is to identify the positive (meliorative) and negative (pejorative) connotations of these zoolexems. The research methods used in this work are the semantic-pragmatic method, contextual and component analysis. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of manifestations of connotation in the speech of native speakers of the Altai language, which are not recorded by existing dictionaries, but are reproduced in the process of forming and interpreting statements. In line with the anthropocentric approach, the specificity of zoonyms denoting in the Altai language representatives of the families of bears, canines, mustelids, squirrels, and deer, which are endowed with connotative meanings and are means of emotional-evaluative nomination, is considered. Zoonyms denoting wild animals in the Altai language are involved in the conceptualization of man, his physical, moral, ethical and intellectual qualities. By expressing a subjective attitude towards another person, describing his qualities, a native speaker actualizes those stereotypical established associations with animals that are enshrined in his linguistic consciousness. The connotative meanings of zoonyms denoting representatives of the bear and dog families are as follows: ayu “bear” expresses the word “strong”, bӧrü “wolf” – “evil”, “cruel”, “greedy”, “young”; tülkü ‘fox’ – “beautiful”, “cunning”, borsuk ‘badger’ – “stupid, kind, honest”, jeeken ‘wolverine’ – “boastful”, toktonok ‘weasel’ – “wise”; pulan ‘elk’, maral ‘deer’ – ‘strong, brave’, elik ‘roe deer’ – ‘beautiful’, ‘timid’, tiyyn ‘squirrel’ – ‘fast’, ‘light’, ‘nimble’. In cultural and linguistic practice, when using zoonyms, two trends in meaning are noted: anthropomorphism, or endowing animals with human properties, and zoomorphism, or endowing people with animal properties, likening humans to animals. In the process of functioning of zoonyms in a figurative meaning in speech practice, mutual enrichment of the semantics of lexemes occurs.

Лексическо-семантические параллели в кыргызском и алтайском языках (этимология родства и тела человека)

The purpose of the article is to use the example of the etymology of words related to family relationships and the human body to show the general and special in the basic vocabulary of modern Kyrgyz and Altai languages. The author translated 113 words from Kyrgyz and Altai dictionaries. These words were clarified among speakers of the Kyrgyz and Altai languages. The work reveals for the first time different meanings of the basic vocabulary of these languages that were not previously recorded in the dictionary. Its analysis revealed a large number of completely or partially matching words with the same meanings. Some words have meanings specific to each of the languages being compared. Phonological differences were discovered (using some consonants, some vowels and long vowels), as well as slight differences in the use of some words. A hypothesis has been put forward that the features of the lexical fund of the Altai language were formed under the influence of the languages of other peoples of Siberia.

Интонация простых интеррогативных высказываний в алтайском языке

The paper presents preliminary results of a study based on experimental data on the intonation of a simple interrogative utterance in the Altai language. Based on the requested element, interrogative sentences can be divided into two types: full, referring to the entire sentence, and partial, which are questions. The purpose of a question determines whether it falls into the category of a modal one, to be answered by yes or no, or a dictal one, requiring additional information. Additionally, question types differ formally: dictal ones with interrogative words and modal ones with interrogative particles. Intonation is significant in expressing communicative goals and designing the syntactic structure of a sentence. The concept of intonation encompasses various prosodic methods for segmenting and organizing speech flow to convey the intended message. The intonation system is a complex combination of various prosodic means, including tonal, quantitative-dynamic, articulatory, and phonational. The experimental material for this study was recorded in the village of Yakonur, Ust-Khan district of the Altai Republic. The data were processed using the methodology adopted in the Laboratory of Experimental Phonetic Research of the Institute of Philology SB RAS. The analysis has revealed that the intonation contour of interrogative utterances in the Altai language varies depending on the presence and position of an interrogative marker. The peak of the intonation contour in questions falls on the interrogative word of the utterance. The pitch curve in questions exhibits a higher level of ending in comparison to the intonation of affirmative sentences.

ПОЯВЛЕНИЕ ФОРМ ПРОШЕДШЕГО ВРЕМЕНИ В ТЮРКОЛОГИИ

Studies in the Kyrgyz-Turkish literature on the meaning of the past tense of the verb show that the description of the past tense corresponds to about XIX century. They only talk about the general meaning of the past tense, the normal pronunciation in the verb form in the word of the grammatical means that creates the meaning of the past tense.The famous scientist I.V. Kormushin had published monograph in the system of Altaic tenses of verbs. The work carried out such studies as the development of verb forms in the Altai language and the restoration of the ancient appearance in the Turkish language as a whole. The study of ancient verb forms carried out in combination with the facts of the Tungus-Manchu and Mongolian languages. On these tables, the scientist set the task of finding grammatical forms of ancient Altai verb forms.

모용(慕容)의 의미 고찰

Murong tribe was a branch of the Xianbei, and it was a powerful faction that established dynasties such as Former Yan(前燕) and Later Yan(後燕). Because of this, many scholars have been interested in their history and many studies have been conducted from an early age. However, research on their identity and origin is still lacking.
 In particular, many scholars have attempted to analyze the meaning of ‘Murong’ used as their tribal name and surname. However until today scholar's opinions are divided and there is no established theory, so it has not been completely historically verified. Therefore, in this paper I summarized the existing research history on the meaning of Murong and looked at the shortcomings of the existing research results.
 And I presented my own new view on the meaning of Murong. In other words, unlike the claims of existing scholars it is confirmed that ‘Murong’ is a transliteration of the word ‘Buyan’, which has the meaning of virtue, goodness, and blessing in the Altaic language world.

Research on the Language Protection Modes of Cross-Border Ethnic Groups in China and Russia—Taking the Oroqen nationality in China and the Evenki nationality in Russia as Examples

Cross-border ethnic groups are a group of people living separately in two or more modern countries due to a long history of development. The Oroqen nationality and the Evenki nationality, as homologous ethnic groups living across the border of China and Russia, both belong to the Manchu-Tungusic group of Altaic languages, which are very similar and have great significance for the survival of the two ethnic cultures. With the historical changes and social development, the ethnic languages of the Oroqen nationality and the Evenki nationality are seriously on the danger of disappearing. In this regard, China and Russia have adopted institutionalized and systematic protection measures and formed their own distinctive language protection modes from three aspects: policies and laws, theoretical research and educational practice, which has alleviated the former endangered situation of ethnic languages. Based on the necessity of cross-border ethnic language protection, this paper explores the protection modes of these two ethnic languages and puts forward suggestions for further strengthening the protection in the future, in order to provide help for improving the soft power of national culture and enhancing the friendship between China and Russia.