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Article published In:
Journal of Historical Linguistics
Vol. 6:2 (2016) ► pp.247–296

A prosody-controlled semi-vowel alternation in Yukaghir

| Stockholm University |

This article shows that Yukaghir underwent a regular sound change whereby all word-internal and word-final w phonemes became j, probably in Early Proto-Yukaghir. After degemination had occurred, possibly in Middle Proto-Yukaghir, any j in an intervocalic position of disyllabic roots was followed by an epenthetic l, as it still is in the modern Yukaghir languages. Palatalization, labialization, uvularization, and assimilative effects finally formed the Late Proto-Yukaghir forms from which the modern languages have arisen. Word-class prosody controls epenthesis, vowel lengthening, and any further word-final vowel changes. Identifying these historical processes also strengthens the evidence that Yukaghir is genealogically related to Uralic. The Uralic and Yukaghiric correspondences are carefully analyzed as to phonology and semantics, resulting in over fifty new or revised cognate suggestions. Further, Yukaghiric shows a trend towards a reduction of the number of root syllables in the comparison. The semi-vowel w remained unchanged word-initially in Tundra Yukaghir and has thus been a continuous part of the Yukaghir phonemic register. Lexemes containing the semi-vowel w found in modern Yukaghir in word-internal and final positions arose from other sources only after the semi-vowel alternation sound change rule.

Keywords: Uralic, Yukaghir, Finno-Ugric, proto-language, sound change rule, semi-vowel, cognates
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Earlier research
    • 2.2Yukaghir prosody
    • 2.3Yukaghir epenthesis
  • 3.Historical Yukaghir phonology and other sound changes
    • 3.1The details of the suggested sound change
    • 3.2Uralic correspondences to monosyllabic *w-initial roots in Yukaghir
    • 3.3Uralic correspondences to disyllabic *w-initial roots in Yukagir
    • 3.4Uralic correspondences to monosyllabic *j-initial roots in Yukaghir
    • 3.5Uralic correspondences to disyllabic *j-initial roots in Yukagir
  • 4.Correspondences between Uralic *-w- word-internal roots to *-j- word- internal roots in Yukaghiric: Examples of a regular sound change law
  • 5.Further correspondences of word-internal and word-final Uralic *j and *w
    • 5.1Correspondences between Uralic *-j- word-internal roots to *-j- word-internal roots in Yukaghiric
    • 5.2Correspondences between Uralic *-wj- & *-jw-internal roots to roots in Yukaghiric
    • 5.3Correspondences between Uralic *-ωŋ- internal clusters to roots in Yukaghiric
    • 5.4Correspondences between Uralic final, semi-vowel *-ω to roots in Yukaghiric
  • 6.Further relevant developments
    • 6.1The development of Late Proto-Yukaghir *-w-
    • 6.2 The extent of the semi-vowel alternation and impact on vocabulary
  • 7.The resulting sound change
    • 7.1Prosodic analysis of the outcome
    • 7.2Regarding the chronology of sound changes
  • 8.Summary and conclusions
  • Notes
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations
  • Etymological References
  • References
Published online: 2 March 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jhl.6.2.04pii
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The etymological reference works consulted in Nikolaeva 2006, the source of Yukaghir used for this research, were, given with common shorthand: CED (Fortescue et al. 1994), DEWOS (Steinitz 1966–1993), EDAL (Starostin et al. 2003), ESRD (Anikin 2000), ESRZ (Anikin 2003), JRS (Slepcov 1972), JU (Collinder 1940: notes Yukaghir parallels and arguments), HUV (Collinder 1965), LR (Fortescue 1998), and UJN (Collinder 1957). Further, the following glossaries were consulted and collected therein: Angere 1957 (based on Kurilov 1900), Kurilov 2001, Veenker 1989, Endo 1997, 2001, Nyikolajeva 2000, Nikolaeva & Shalugin 2003, and Maslova 2001, 2003.

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Cited by 5 other publications

Piispanen, Peter S.
2022. Yup’ik Loanword Etymologies for the Yukaghir Languages and Dialects. Études/Inuit/Studies 46:1 ► pp. 193 ff. DOI logo
PİİSPAANEN, Peter
2020. Additional Turkic and Tungusic Borrowings into Yukaghir V. Journal of Old Turkic Studies 4:2 ► pp. 469 ff. DOI logo
PİİSPAANEN, Peter
2020. Additional Turkic and Tungusic Borrowings into Yukaghir IV. Journal of Old Turkic Studies 4:1 ► pp. 152 ff. DOI logo
PİİSPAANEN, Peter
2021. Nikolaeva, I. Yukaghir Morphology in a Historical and Comparative Perspective, München: Lincom Europe, 2020, pp. 122, ISBN: 978-3862-900466. Journal of Old Turkic Studies 5:1 ► pp. 212 ff. DOI logo
PİİSPANEN, Peter
2019. Additional Turkic and Tungusic Borrowings into Yukaghir III. Journal of Old Turkic Studies 3:2 ► pp. 321 ff. DOI logo

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