On Secondary Long Vowels in Mongolic Loanwords in Kirghiz

Abstract

Regardless of the modern settlement of their speakers, the South Siberian Turkic languages evidence the largest number of Mongolic loanwords. At the same time, the layer of the loanwords in these languages varies greatly. Interestingly, the Kirghiz language has quite a few Mongolic borrowings, following the number of borrowings from South Siberian Turkic languages. According to my preliminary compiled materials, more than 300 words are indisputably of Mongolic origin. Most of these Mongolic loanwords were most likely borrowed in the early Yenisei period. As with the South Siberian Turkic languages (Tuvan, Khakas, Yakut, etc.) in Kirghiz, it is difficult to distribute the Mongolic loanwords into earlier and later layers. For example, Kirghiz has an early characteristic feature in the length patterns -aγu-, -aγa-, -oγa-, iγu-, -egü-, -öge-, -uγu-, -igü-, which can be attributed to the middle period of the Kirghiz language. In Kirghiz, strong labial vowel harmony is clearly and consistently implemented, especially in the Northern Kirghiz dialect. This might have influenced the long vowel patterns in Mongolic loanwords. This type of vowel harmony affected the development of the long vowels in the Mongolic loanwords due to the loss of intervocalic guttural consonant g. Long vowels in Mongolic loanwords in Kirghiz are observed only in those cases where the long vowels arose from the patterns -aγu-, -aγa, -oγa-, -iγu-, -egü, -öge-, -uγu, -igü-.