Reconstruction:Proto-Nakh/imkal
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This Proto-Nakh 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. |
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This Proto-Nakh entry contains original research. The reconstruction in this entry is based on published research, but the specific form presented here is not found in prior works. |
Proto-Nakh
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Compare with Old Georgian აქლემი (aklemi), Arabic جَمَل (jamal), Ancient Greek κᾰ́μηλος (kámēlos) and Tocharian A oṅkaläm (“elephant”).
Dutch linguist Peter Schrijver,[1] reconstructs the oblique stem *amkil- for the Chechen reflex. However, Uslar’s work[2] contains a form in the genitive singular емкелің with -e- in the second syllable:
- *amkaliᶰ (assimilation 1) > *amkeliᶰ (assimilation 2) > *emkeliᶰ (reduction) > Chechen эмкалан (emkalan).
Therefore, there is no need to reconstruct an oblique stem with *i, cf. *ʕe (“steam”).
The Chechen paradigm was aligned (after the second assimilation) on an oblique stem, whereas the Ingush paradigm was aligned on a direct stem. Where Chechen dialects had no assimilation phenomenon, the form анкал (ankal)[3] is present, i.e. the paradigm also aligned on an oblique stem. In Ingush there has been an assimilation of *-mk- to -nk-. The Bats form was probably also aligned on an oblique stem and heavily influenced by the Georgian form აქლემი (aklemi), but borrowing cannot be ruled out. On this subject, Schrijver writes: “<…> but there is no apparent reason why aklem- should have become Batsbi aklam. In general, Batsbi has many instances of the sequence a - e, e.g. bader ‘child’, pχaner ‘shoulder’, sakʾer ‘neck’. It is perhaps conceivable that aklam represents a cross between borrowed aklem- and the native Nakh stem amkal-.”
In Schiefner’s work[4] on Chechen, the Bats form ამქელ (amkel) is presented, which seems to be a misprint, copying the Chechen form and changing the letter. Whereas in his work[5] on Bats has a completely different form, which has been attested by other dictionaries.
Noun
*imkal
Descendants
- >? Bats: აქლამ class dd (aklam) (< obl. *amkal-)
- Vainakh:
References
- ^ Schrijver, Peter (2024) “East Caucasian perspectives on the origin of the word ‘camel’ and some notes on European substrate lexemes”, in Kroonen, Guus, editor, Sub-Indo-European Europe: Problems, Methods, Results (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs ), volume 375, , →ISBN, →ISSN, page 391: “*imkil, oblique *amkil- beside *amkalV-”
- ^ Uslar, Peter von (1888) Этнография Кавказа. Языкознание. II. Чеченский язык (in Russian), Tiflis: Printing house of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the civil unit in the Caucasus, page 49: “емкелің”
- ^ Arsakhanov, Israil (1969) Чеченская диалектология (in Russian), Grozny: Chechen-Ingush Book Publishing House, page 39: “анкал ― ankal”
- ^ Schiefner, Anton (1864) Tschetschenzische Studien (in German), Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 47: “th. amk̓el”
- ^ Schiefner, Anton (1856) Versuch über die Thusch-Sprache oder die khistische Mundart in Thuschetien (in German), Saint Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 106: “ak̓lam”