| Paleo-Siberian | |
|---|---|
| (geographic) | |
| Geographic distribution | Siberia |
| Linguistic classification | Not a single family |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| |
ThePaleo-Siberian languages are a group of fourlanguage isolates and smalllanguage families spoken in parts ofSiberia. They are not known to have anygenetic relationship to each other; their only widely accepted link is that they are held to have antedated the more dominant languages, particularlyTungusic and latterlyTurkic languages, that have largely displaced them. Even more recently, Turkic (at least in Siberia) and especially Tungusic have been displaced in their turn byRussian.
Four smalllanguage families andisolates are usually considered to be Paleo-Siberian languages:[1]
On the basis of morphological, typological, and lexical evidence,Michael Fortescue suggests that Chukotko-Kamchatkan and Nivkh (Amuric) are related, forming a largerChukotko-Kamchatkan–Amuric language family. Fortescue does not consider Yeniseian and Yukaghir to be genetically related to Chukotko-Kamchatkan–Amuric.[2]
The purpose of the existence of Paleo-Siberian itself lies in its practicability and remains a grouping of convenience for a variety of unclassifiable language isolates located in Northeast Eurasia.
The largely-extinct Yeniseian language family, primarily through the Ket language, has been linked to the Na-Dené languages of North America.[3]Dené–Yeniseian has been called "the first demonstration of agenealogical link between Old World and New World language families that meets the standards of traditional comparative-historical linguistics".[4] Attempts to connect it toSino-Tibetan,North Caucasian andBurushaski have also been made, especially through the widely-discredited Dené-Caucasian hypothesis.
Kim Bang-han proposed thatplacename glosses in theSamguk sagi reflect the original language of the Korean peninsula and a component in the formation of both Korean and Japanese. It is suggested that this language was related to Nivkh in some form.[5][6][7]Juha Janhunen suggests the possibility that similar consonant stop systems in Koreanic and Nivkh may be due to ancient contact.[8]Martine Robbeets suggests that Proto-Korean had a Nivkh substrate influence. Further parallel developments in their sound inventory (Old to Middle Korean and Proto-Nivkh to Nivkh) as well as commonalities in the syntax between Koreanic and Nivkh specifically have been observed.[9] Alexander Vovin, in a criticism of the Altaic language grouping, has suggested that Korean shares similarities with other Paleo-Siberian languages in several important respects (i.e. phonotactics, verb incorporation v. compounding, adjectives as verbs and not nominals).[10]
TheOb-Ugric andSamoyedic languages predate the spread of Turkic, Mongolic and Tungusic languages, but are part of the well established largerUralic family, thus not Paleo-Siberian. Yukaghir has often been suggested as a more distant relative of Uralic as part of theUralic-Yukaghir languages, as well as Eskimo-Aleut as part of theUralo-Siberian languages.[11] However, these hypotheses are controversial and not universally accepted.
Below are selected basic vocabulary items in proto-languages reconstructed for Paleo-Siberian languages and language families.Proto-Eskimo,Proto-Uralic, Proto-Ainu,Ainu,Proto-Korean andProto-Japanese are also given for comparison.
| gloss | Proto-Yeniseian[12] | Proto-Uralic[13] | Proto-Eskimo[14] | Proto-Yukaghir[15] | Proto-Chukotko-Kamchatkan[16] | Proto-Nivkh[17][18] | Proto-Korean[19][20] | Proto-Ainu[21] | Ainu[18] | Proto-Japanese[22] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| head | *cɨʔɢ-; *kəŕga- | *ojwa | *nay(ə)quʀ | *joː | C *læwət | *d’oŋkr | *matuy | *pa; *sa | pa | *tumu-; *kàsìrà |
| hair | *cəŋe | *apte | *nuyaʀ | *manilə/*monilə | C *kəðwir | *ŋamrki | *kar(ák); tǝrǝk | *numa | *ká-Ci | |
| eye | *de-s | *śilmä | *əðə | *waŋ-/*woŋ-; *jöː- | *ləlæ | *n’(ə)ŋaɣ | *nún | *sik; *nuu | shik | *mà-n |
| ear | *ʔɔqtʌ ~ *ʔɔgde | *peljä | *ciɣun | *unemə | *vilu | *mla; *nor | *kúj | *kisAr | kisar | *mìmì |
| nose | *ʔolk-; *xaŋ | *nere (*nēre) | *qəqaʀ | *jöː- | *qiN(qiN); C *jeqa | *wiɣ | *kóh | *Etu | etu | *páná |
| tooth | *piŋe | *kəɣun | *toð-; *sal’qəriː | C *wannə | *ŋaɣzər | *ni(s) | *nii; *ima(=)k | nimaki | *pà | |
| tongue | *ʔej | *kele (*kēle) | I *uqaq(-) | *wonor | *jilə(jil) ? | *hilɣ | *hyet/*hita | *agu | parumbe | *sìtà |
| mouth | *χowe | *śuwe | *qanəʀ(-) | *aŋa | *rəkərNə(n) | *amɣ | *ip/*kút | *prAA= | par | *kútú-Ci |
| hand | *pʌg- | *käte | *aðɣa(ʀ), *aðɣaɣ | *ńuŋkən/*ńuŋen | *kæɣ(ə) | *damk | *són/tar | *tE(=)k | tek | *tà-Ci |
| foot | *kiʔs; *bul | *jalka | *itəɣaʀ | *noj-; *ar- | *kətka | *ŋazl | *pál | *urE; *kEma; *tikir | ure | *pànkì |
| breast | *təga | *poŋe | *əvyaŋ(ŋ)iʀ | *sis-; *mel- | *loloʀ(ə) | *məc(ɣ) | *cǝc | *tOO[C] | *ti/*titi | |
| meat | *ʔise | *pećä; *siwɜ-ĺɜ | *kəməɣ; *uvinəɣ | *čuː- | C *kinuNi; C *tərɣətər | *dur | *kòkí | *kam | kam | shishi |
| blood | *sur | *wire | *aðuɣ, *kanuɣ | *lep(k)-; *čeːmə | *mullə(mul) | cʰoχ; ŋær̥ | *pVhi | *kEm | kem | *tí |
| bone | *ʔaʔd | *luwe | I *caunəq | *am- | *qətʀəm | ŋɨɲf | *sùpyé | *ponE | pone | *pone |
| person | *keʔt; *pixe | *inše | (*inguɣ; *taʁu 'shamanic') | *köntə; *soromə | *qəlavol ?; *qəlik 'male'; C *ʀoraNvərr(at)əlʀən | *n’iɣvŋ | *sarʌm | *kur | (ainu) | *pítò̱ |
| name | *ʔiɢ | *nime | *atəʀ; *acciʀ- | *ńuː; *kirijə | C *nənnə | *qa(-) | *ìlh(kòt)tá/*na | *dEE | rei | *ná |
| dog | *čip ~ *čib | *pene | *qikmiʀ | *laːmə | *qətʀə(n) | *ɢanŋ | *kahi | *gita | seta | *ìnù |
| fish | *kala | *iqałuɣ | *an-/*wan-; *anjə ? | *ənnə | *co | *mǝlkòkí | *tiqEp | chep | *(d)íwó | |
| louse | *jog- ~ *jok 'nit' | *täje | *kumaɣ | *peme/*pime | *mə(l)məl | *dar, *hirk; *amrak | *ni | *ki | ki | *sìrámí |
| tree | *puwɜ | *uqviɣ; *napa(ʀ)aqtuʀ | *saː- | *ut(tə) | *d’iɣar | *nàmò̱k(ó) | *nii; *tiku= | ni | *kò̱- < *ko̱no̱r | |
| leaf | *jə̄pe | *lešte; *lȣ̈pɜ (*lepɜ) | *pəłu | *pöɣ- | *wətwət | *blaŋ(q), *d’omr | *nip | *hrA= | ham | *pá |
| flower | *ćȣrɜ (Mansi) | *polčičə | ɤŋvk | *kòcʌ́ | *Epuy | epuige | *páná | |||
| water | *xur | *wete | *imaqtəq- | *law- | *(m)iməl ? | *caʀ | *mǝí | *hdak=ka | wakka | *mí |
| fire | *boʔk | *tule | *ək(ə)nəʀ | *loč- | *jən ?; *milɣə(mil) | *tuɣ(u)r | *pɨr | *apE | abe | *pò-Ci |
| stone | *čɨʔs | *kiwe | *qaluʀ; *uyaʀaɣ | *söj-/*sej- | *ɣəv(ɣəv) | *baʀ | *tərək | *suma; *pOqina | shuma | *(d)ísò |
| earth | *baʔŋ | *maγe | *nuna, *nunałit- | *luk-; *öninč’ə | *nutæ ? 'land' | *miv | *nu(r)i | *tOy | toi | *tùtì 'land' |
| salt | *čəʔ | *salɜ (*sala) | *taʀ(ə)yuʀ | *davc(iŋ) | *sokom | *sippO | shippo | |||
| road | *qoʔt | *teje | *čuɣö; *jaw- | *rəʀet; *təlanvə 'way' | *d’iv | *kil | *truu | ru | *mítí < honorific prefix mi- + ti 'road' | |
| eat | *siɢ- | *sewe- (*seγe-) | *leɣ- | *nu- | *n’i- | *mǝk- | *EE | ibe | *kup- | |
| die | *qɔ- | *kola- | *tuqu(-) | *am-/*wam- | C *viʀ- | *mu | *cuk- | *day | rai | *sín- |
| I | *ʔadᶻ | *mȣ̈ | *uvaŋa; (*vi) | *mət | *kəm | *n’i | *na/uri | *ku= | kuani | *bàn[u] |
| you | *ʔaw ~ ʔu; *kʌ- ~ *ʔʌk- | *tȣ̈ | *əlpət, *əłvət | *tit | *kəð; *tur(i) | *ci | *ne | *E= | eani | *si/*so̱-; *na |
Notes:C = Proto-Chukotian;I = Proto-Inuit
| Chukotko-Kamchatkan |
| .svg) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yeniseian |
| |||||
| Yukaghir | ||||||
| Nivkh | ||||||
| Ainu | ||||||
| Eskaleut | ||||||
| Proposed groupings | ||||||
Italics indicateextinct languages | ||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
