Monument to the Khanty script of L. P. Vologodski “Matveĭ elta jemyń aĭkol-jastypsa” (1868): nominal morphology

Abstract

The missionary stage of the Khanty script has not been considered in Khanty linguistics. Of particular interest is the dialect belonging to the Khanty script monument of the Vologodski priest “The Evangel of Matthew” (“Matveĭ elta jemyń aĭkol-jastypsa”, London, 1868). The Obdorsky dialect is marked on the title page of this publication, but researchers note that “Obdorsky dialect of Vologodski” is a mixed idiom with birch features. This paper considers the grammatical indicators of the noun and the paradigm of personal pronouns compared with materials on western dialects of the Khanty language and the monument of the Khanty script “Sacred history” (Tobolsk, 1900). The analysis of grammatical indicators of the noun has not found any anomalous deviations in the category of number: the text contains both dual and plural forms; the case system has the nominative, illative, and locative; the values of the illative and locative coincide with the data of published works. However, additional values not identified in previous works were found: temporary semantics for the illative and translative, onomasiative for the locative. Also, the locative has a static and dynamic value, which is typical for the Priuralsky (obdorsky) dialect, and the comitative, marked in the monument, is inherent in the Sredneobsky dialect. The personal pronoun declension system has forms corresponding to the markers of the Priuralsky, Shuryshkarsky, and middle Ob dialects. Thus, the monument concerned was found to have formal indicators typical for the Sherkal Sredneobsky and Nizyamsky dialects and some features inherent in the Priuralsky (obdorsky) dialect.