No 2 (2024)
LINGUISTICS
The Subject of Argument Clauses with the Participle -em in Tatyshly Udmurt
Abstract
This article presents a study of subjects in participle -(e)m constructions (in the context of their use as sentential arguments) in the Tatyshly dialect of the Udmurt language. The research material was collected during linguistic expeditions of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (Lomonosov MSU) in the Tatyshly region of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2022–2023. One of the main aspects of this research is the syntactic status of unmarked subjects. In E. Georgieva’s research, such subjects in Udmurt and other languages are interpreted as incorporated nominal stems. Based on a number of features exhibited by unmarked subjects in argument participial constructions in Tatyshy Udmurt, I conclude that the incorporation approach does not apply to my data. In particular, unmarked subjects can be modified by adjectives, numerals, and demonstratives. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the correlation between the properties of unmarked subjects and the syntactic position of the sentential argument. I suggest that when the sentential argument occupies the subject or direct object position, its unmarked subject remains caseless and represents a small nominal. In other cases, the unmarked subject of the sentential argument is a complete noun phrase and is in the nominative case. First, when the sentential argument takes the subject or direct object positions, personal pronouns, proper nouns, and animate nouns denoting people cannot be unmarked subjects; however, this is allowed for other sentential arguments. Secondly, with sentential arguments not occupying the subject or direct object positions, the unmarked subject can take on nominal morphology. Thirdly, unmarked subjects in sentential arguments that occupy the subject or direct object positions are restricted in their ability to move away from the participle, unlike unmarked subjects in other sentential actants.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):9-20
9-20
The Vocabulary Related to Livestock in the Khakass Language (Comparative-Contrastive Aspect)
Abstract
The thematic group of livestock vocabulary in the Turkic and Mongolian languages is an extensive layer of the lexical system of the language. It includes words naming domestic animals and characterizing their sex, age, breed, color, food, body parts, territories, husbandry, and grazing. In the classification system, these words are divided into different semantic subgroups. The richest group consists of the names of animals that express their gender and age characteristics. The relevance of studying this layer of vocabulary arises from the fact that in connection with the development of modern technologies, the once rich composition of livestock vocabulary is narrowing, as a result of which many words have passed into the realm of archaisms, especially the names of horse harnesses. In relation to the horse – the faithful companion of the nomad - the Turkic and Mongolian peoples have developed an extensive network of terms since ancient times. Using the Khakass language as an example, we have shown that compound words are active in this environment, which are represented by the combination of a common name with a determiner, e.g., улуғ мал (cattle), іргек сосха (hog or male pig), ине хой (sheep or Ewe); сібет адай (Pug or Dwarf dog). Certain types of domestic animals are also designated by combining basic terms with adjectives, participles, and substantival nouns. Data from bilingual dictionaries and etymological information on certain terms from the works of famous linguists – typologists – were used as linguistic material on the Mongolian and Turkish languages.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):70-83
70-83
The Coefficient of Emotiveness of «Mother Tongue» in the Context of Measuring the Symbolic Power of Minority Languages in the Russian Federation (Based on the Russian Census Data from 2010 to 2020)
Abstract
This study examines a linguistic situation in Russia, focusing in particular on the phenomenon of respondents in sociological surveys and Russian censuses reporting the language they do not actually speak as their mother tongue. This phenomenon emphasizes the emotional significance of the Russian term ‘mother tongue’ and its unique symbolic status. The authors introduce a new term, the ‘coefficient of emotiveness,’ which quantitatively measures the proportion of people who do not speak the language but describe it as their mother tongue. At the same time, the strengthening of ethnic identity and the increasing importance of a language as a symbol are influenced by socio-political changes. The study’s main hypothesis is that the language conflict of 2017–2018 impacted the emotional significance of minority languages in the Russian Federation. A linear mixed-effects model based on the 2010 and 2020 Russian census data revealed a significant positive increase in the coefficient of emotiveness in 2020. Our research confirms that the 2017-2020 socio-political context influenced the ethnic identity and symbolic meaning of minority languages in Russia
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):58-69
58-69
HOMELAND in the Linguistic Image of the World in Siberian Languages
Abstract
The following article analyzes the concept of HOMELAND in the Siberian Turkic languages (Altai, Khakas, Tuvan, Yakut) and Khanty (an Ob-Ugric language), in contrast to the Mongolian languages. Compared to Russian, where HOMELAND encompasses the ‘small homeland’ and the ‘large homeland’ as a state, the concept of HOMELAND is still developing in the Siberian languages, partly under the influence of Russian linguaculture. In the Siberian and Mongolian linguistic images of the world, the homeland is represented as an idealized space (both physical and spiritual) conquered by the ancestors. The notion of homeland is associated with birth (the land where a person was born and their afterbirth was buried), kinship (homeland as a parent, metaphorical connection with the homeland through the umbilical cord), objects that mark one’s ‘own’ space (rivers, mountains, meadows, forests, campsites, hearths). Also important are the national characteristics and qualities attributed to the homeland by native speakers (junipers, healing springs, richness of flora and fauna, abundance of people). Emotional components of the concept are also essential and are verbalized through expressions that positively characterize the homeland. We distinguish common and unique national features of the concept of HOMELAND in the languages mentioned above. For example, HOMELAND is defined in all languages as the land where someone was born and raised; the idea of kinship with the land is also universal, as is the sacralization of space and the presence of a body of water. In the descriptions of the Altai, certain similarities can be found between the linguistic worldviews of Altaic and Mongolian (frequent epithets such as ‘sacred,’ ‘golden,’ and ‘healing’). Certain unique somatisms and verbs characterizing the homeland as an anthropomorphic being are found in different Turkic languages.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):46-57
46-57
The Concept of ‘Straight’ and Its Semantic Relations in Tatyshly Udmurt
Abstract
This article deals with the semantics of lexemes with the meaning ‘straight(ly)’ (e.g., about the direction of motion) in the Tatyshly subdialect of Udmurt (Peripheral-Southern dialect, Southern variety). Methodologically, the study is follows the frame-based approach to lexical typology, which presupposes the investigation of lexical semantics through collocational analysis. The majority of the data was collected by elicitation in the Tatyshly district of the Republic of Bashkortostan (the villages of Nizhnebaltachevo, Staryj Kyzyl-Jar, Ivanovka, Novye Tatyshly, Starokal’mijarovo as well as Verkhnebaltachevo, Bigineevo, Aribash, Urazgil’dy). In addition, the text corpus collected in the field was used, and as a broader background, the data of some other varieties of Udmurt, mainly from dictionaries and corpora, were taken into account. The material from Udmurt is compared with typological generalizations about the lexemes with the meaning ‘straight(ly)’. I show that the meaning in question in Tatyshly Udmurt can be expressed by the lexeme šon′er (and its derivative šon′erak) and by the lexeme ves′ak. I analyze the distributional differences between these lexemes in the contexts in which they describe a straight line with different topological properties and motion along a straight line. Their abstract uses are also systematized. I discuss the secondary development of the meaning ‘straight(ly),’ which is typologically sophisticated: šon′er is probably related to the Proto-Uralic root for ‘good, healthy’ (and has no obvious cognates among the lexemes referring to a straight line in other Uralic languages). At the same time, ves′ak is derived from a universal quantifier ves′ borrowed from Russian. The quantificational semantics is fundamental to ves′ak in other Udmurt varieties for which detailed data are available. In Tatyshly Udmurt, however, it is unproductive and replaced by a narrower class of usages referring to a straight line.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):35-45
35-45
Dufon [oa] in the Karaidel Dialect of the Northwestern Dialect of the Bashkir Language
Abstract
This article examines the articulatory-acoustic features of the vowel type [a] of the Karaidel dialect of the Bashkir language. The study's relevance arises from the fact that the phonetic system of the Bashkir language has so far been described mainly based on the researcher's observations and auditory perception. In this context, we are faced with the task of determining the characteristics of phonemes and their allophones with the help of modern recordings in WAV format and using new techniques and computer programs. The study aims to present a detailed analysis of the quality of the vowel type [a] in monosyllabic lexemes in anlaut and medial positions in the Karaidel dialect of the northwestern dialect of the Bashkir language. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that, for the first time, the experimental acoustic method is used to describe the vowel phoneme [a]. The work is based on expedition recordings made by the author in 2022–2023 in the settlements of the Karaidel region in the Republic of Bashkortostan. The recording and decoding were carried out using a unique phonetic technique. The acoustic analysis was carried out using the Speech Analyzer 3.0.1 computer program. The description follows the methodology used in the Laboratory for Experimental Phonetic Research named after. V. M. Nadelyaev Institute of Philology SB RAS. In the main part of the article, an analysis of the vowel [a] in anlaut (VC) and inlaut (CVC) positions in such monosyllabic words as ay 'moon, month,' may 'butter, fat' and mal 'cattle' in the pronunciation of four informants are presented. Previous Bashkir researchers classified the variant of the phoneme [a] in these positions in Karaidel and other dialects of the northwestern dialect of the Bashkir language as labialized 'a°' or as 'o' with the element 'a'. According to our experimental phonetic studies, the vowel 'a' at the beginning of words and in the first closed syllables was recorded as a complex two-component sound 'oa,' called a dufon (by N.S. Urtegeshev), which consists of two elements: the first is a guttural-rounded type 'o', and the second is a gutturalunrounded type 'a'.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):21-34
21-34
ANTHROPOLOGY
Eco Toys in Bashkir Culture
Abstract
Toys have long been the subject of ethnographic research. Among the toys, balls, bats, dolls, and random toys made of natural materials stand out. They are rarely mentioned in the scientific literature. The article, based exclusively on the field material of the author’s team, is devoted to the study of these types of toys among Bashkir children, i.e., play objects that return to the natural environment after play. The study aims to reveal an unexplored aspect of the problem and show the stability of random toys (or eco-toys) as an element of play culture. These toys are classified according to their material of origin: stones, wood, clay, and plant toys made of grass, flowers, and fruit. The classification of games is based on gender and age: boys’ games, girls’ games, and general games. A historiographical overview of the literature on the games of Bashkir children leads to the conclusion that Bashkir toys have hardly been researched and that the subject of random toys has not been dealt with at all. The authors found that the objects in question are characterized by simplicity of manufacture, the games are quick, and the play objects return to the natural environment. Nevertheless, such games are of great importance as they help to develop children’s dexterity, accuracy, and observation skills; they familiarize them with the properties of objects and the world around them; they have an educational value as the child learns through play to recognize plants, materials, their properties and the possibility of their use in everyday life. All games and eco-games reflect the traditional occupations and way of life of the Bashkir people - animal husbandry, hunting, and gathering. In the child’s imagination, the surrounding world, the reality of life, and everyday life are represented by wood, clay, flowers, herbs, and stones. Examples of the oldest hunting and gathering techniques can sometimes be seen in this type of toy – a sling, whistles, slingshots, and plants for decoration. Even today, the toy has not lost its significance and retains its niche in modern children’s culture.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):113-123
113-123
Material Evidence of Burial and Commemorative Rituals in the Burial Mounds and the Buried Soil of the Southern Burial Mound Group of the Anikin Kamen 1 Burial Ground
Abstract
The Anikin Kamen 1 burial ground is located in the Tomsk district of the Tomsk region. A. D. Gaman excavated it in 1994 and 1996. The burial ground consisted of two groups of burial mounds: a northern and a southern one. This article examines the findings from the southern group. The work aims to analyze the objects and finds in the burial mounds and the soil, including special wooden constructions for burial and memorial rituals, from the southern burial mound group of the Anikin Kamen 1 burial ground and to relate these objects and finds to other cultures of the High Middle Ages in the upper and middle Ob region. In addition to the objects found in the burial mounds (animal bones, stones, pottery, personal items), burnt wooden constructions were also found in two burial mounds. Similar objects were found in monuments of the Srostki, Basandaika, and Kyshstovka cultures in western Siberia. The finds in the burial mounds and soil indicate that the burial and memorial rituals were carried out. These rituals can be traced back to the Upper and Middle Ob regions’ Early and High Middle Ages. In the High Middle Ages, special wooden constructions were erected inside and outside the burial mounds in this area. The author of this work agrees with the opinion of M. F. Kosarev that all burial and memorial acts are connected with a pagan worldview of rebirth.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):103-112
103-112
The Concept of ‘Horse and Human’ in the Traditional Worldview of the Khakas (end of the XIX–XX century)
Abstract
The Khakas’ traditional way of life and economic activity was connected with horse breeding, which was given an important place. The daily life of the Khakas, the cattle breeders, was inextricably linked to the horse, on which practically their entire life depended – from daily housework to eating. This has contributed to the development of a whole complex of ideas about this domestic animal as the closest living creature to man in the traditional consciousness of the people. In the world view of the Khakas, the horse is not only perceived as an indispensable companion and faithful helper to humans but also as an equal partner in the ‘horse and human’ tandem. This article aims to characterize the concept of ‘horse and human’ in the traditional worldview of the Khakas. The time frame of the work is limited to the late XIX–XX century. The available sources on the research topic determine the choice of this time frame. Ethnographic and folkloristic materials served as the source basis. The study follows the principle of historicism, in which each cultural phenomenon is considered in its development and in the light of a specific historical situation. The research methodology uses historical and ethnographic methods: Remains (relics) and semantic analysis. According to the study results, the author concludes that the positive ideological concept of ‘horse and human’ was among the most important in the Khakas’ traditional culture. This, of course, testifies to the extremely important role that the horse played in the material and spiritual spheres of the life of these people. In the traditional consciousness of the Khakas, the image of this animal is very close to that of man; it is not only understood as a faithful friend and helper of its master but is also endowed with human qualities. The concept of ‘horse and human’ was elaborated in epic works and folk proverbs, sayings, and riddles. In the oral folk art of the Khakas, the images of ‘horse and human’ are inextricably linked. They complement each other and form a whole. In folklore, the ideas about a horse and its owner are manifested through a pictorial parallel. An associative-symbolic comparison is drawn between the behavior of humans and horses. It is noted that the image of this animal is strongly anthropomorphized and is often symbolically identified with humans.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):84-93
84-93
Child Mortality and Its Causes Among the Tobolsk Bukharians in the Second Half of the 19th Century (Based on Materials from Muslim Books of the Komarov Mosque)
Abstract
Research results on infant and child mortality in the second half of the 19th century and its causes among immigrants from Central Asia are presented. Although they were representatives of different nationalities (Tajiks, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, Karakalpaks, Kazakhs), in Siberia, they were combined into one ethnosocial group and referred to as Bukharians and Sarts. The Bukharians lived mainly together with the Yezaks and the military service Tatars; there are even two Bukharian settlements in the Tobolsk district – the Komarovskie (Komarau) and Mirimovskie (Kollar) yurts. The research materials are Komarov mosque books from the 19th and early 20th centuries of the Tobolsk province, written in the old Tatar language with Arabic script. So far, there are no studies dealing with the problem of mortality among the 19th-century Siberian Tatars, which is the novelty of this work. Our data show that the total mortality rate in the period under study (1835–1852, 1854–1862) amounted to 94% of the birth rate, of which children accounted for 55%. The quantitative component of deaths by age is shown: Newborns (from birth to one month) – 8 %, from one month to one year – 26 %, from one year to 5 years – 49 %, from 6 years to 16 years – 17 %. The most common causes of death were respiratory diseases (suffocation, asthma, consumption, cough), and the second most common causes of death were infectious diseases (smallpox, measles, rubella, jaundice, fever, leprosy). In 29 cases, the cause of death was given as “childhood illness”; the age of the deceased ranged from 2 days to 15 years, but most (90 %) were infants under one-year-old. The worst year in terms of the number of deaths was 1842 (12 children were born, 22 died, the most “dangerous” was the age of children from 1 to 5 years – 12 deaths (55%). The high child mortality rate (especially in infancy) was characteristic of Russia in general. The analysis of the causes of infant and child mortality in Western Siberia in the 19th and early 20th centuries allows us to determine the chronological framework of the outbreak periods of diseases and epidemics, to identify diseases typical for the region, to correlate the interpretations of the names of diseases (characterization of the cause of death by the imam, variable records, dialect names, and pronunciation).
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):124-137
124-137
The Cult of the Horse in the Traditional Culture of the Buryats
Abstract
This article presents the cult of the horse in Buryat mythology, religion, traditional medicine, and culture for the first time. In the nomads’ habitat, the horse was man’s best friend and companion, accompanying him from early childhood to old age. In the ritual and ceremonial complex of the Mongolian peoples, the horse cult had a sacred meaning that began with the initiation rites of the three- and seven-year-old boys to become horsemen and hunters and ended with the funeral and burial rites. The semantics of the horse cult can be found in various contexts: in shamanic mythology, religion, rituals, traditional culture, the Buryat circle dance – ‘yehor,’ and the musical instruments of the Mongols and Buryats. Of particular importance is the study of the phenomenon of the horse cult in connection with the origin, construction, and sacredness of the Mongolian musical instrument morinhur, the analog of which is the Buryat musical instrument khur. The deep mythological and religious ideas of the Buryats and Mongols about the horse are reflected in legends, uligers, West Buryat funeral songs of Uhelei duunuud, the circle dance of yehor as well as in the examination of the semantics of morinhura/khura in the context of the sound image of the world as an information model of shamanic rituals.Dotted parallels reflect the horse cult in the traditional culture of the Turkic and Mongolian ethnic groups.
Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2024;(2):94-102
94-102