Reconstruction:Proto-Mongolic/ǰirguxan

This Proto-Mongolic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Suggested to be a compound of *jir- (“two”) +‎ *guxa/n (“three”), *jir being the original ordinal number 'two', and *gu(r)ba/n 'three' being the latter component, evidenced by Middle Mongol ᠵᠢᠷᠢᠨ (ǰirin) being used to count two of female beings in the Secret History, Khitan 𘲝 (jur, “two”), and Tungusic teen numeral borrowings from a Mongolic-related language such as Jurchen 只兒歡 (*dʒïrxon, “twelve”) suggesting different original numerals in Pre-Proto-Mongolic.

If it is indeed an innovation, the original Pre-Proto-Mongolic root may have been *nil, as suggested by the Jurchen-Manchu borrowings such as Jurchen 泥渾 (*nixun, “sixteen”) and Jin Dynasty Jurchen 女鲁 (*niol, “six”) and Manchu ᠨᡳᠣᠯᡥᡠᠨ (niolhun, “the sixteenth day of the first month”).

Compare Khitan 𘭬 (“six”).

*ǰirguxan

1. six

• *ǰiran (“sixty”)

• *gurban (“three”)
• *koyar (“two”)

• Middle Mongol:
  • Mongolian: ᠵᠢᠷᠭᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (ǰirɣug-a)
  • Arabic: جيرڴان (jyrǧân) (Muqaddimat)
  • Chinese: 着羅案 (jir(u)wan) (Beilu Yiyu)
  • Phags-pa: ꡆꡞꡘꡢꡡꡖꡋ (jirqo'a:n)
• Mongolian:
  • Classical: ᠵᠢᠷᠭᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (ǰirɣug-a)
  • Khalkha Mongolian: зургаа (zurgaa)
  • Ordos: /ǰurġa:/
• Oirat:
  • Kalmyk: зурһан (zurğan)
  • Written: ᠵᠢᠷᠭᠤᠭ᠎ᠠ (ᠵᠢrᠭᠤᠭ-a)
• Buryat: зургаан (zurgaan)
• Daur: ǰirɣɔ:
• East Yugur: d͡ʒurɢu:n
• Monguor:
  • Mangghuer: jierghuang
  • Mongghul: jirighun
• Bonan: tɕərʁoŋ
• Kangjia: ǰirğuŋ
• Dongxiang: dʐʃʁuɔ̃
• Mogholi: ǰurɣɒ:n

• Nugteren, Hans (2011) Mongolic phonology and the Qinghai-Gansu languages (dissertation)‎, Utrecht: LOT, pages 387-8
• The template Template:R:Fried 2010 does not use the parameter(s):

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  Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.R. W. Fried (2010) A grammar of Bao'an Tu, a Mongolic language of northwest China.‎, State University of New York at Buffalo, archived from the original on 25 July 2021.