A Historical Dictionary of Yukaghir (Trends in Linguistics Documentation, Vol. 25)

The __Historical Dictionary of Yukaghir__has two main purposes. First, it is intended as a relatively complete source of information on the lexicon of Yukaghir. Tundra and Kolyma Yukaghir are closely related, highly endangered languages spoken in the extreme North-East of Siberia. No modern comprehensive lexicographic description of these languages is available for the international linguistic community. The dictionary presents all known varieties of Yukaghir in comparative format. Some of the materials included come from published sources, others were obtained by the author through fieldwork and are published for the first time. The dictionary also contains examples of now extinct early forms of Yukaghir, which began to be recorded in the late 17th century. Second, the dictionary provides a first reconstruction of the common ancestor of all known Yukaghir varieties. The proto-Yukaghir stems are established based on internal reconstruction, comparison between various Yukaghir idioms, and external data. Although the dictionary does not attempt to provide etymologies for all Yukaghir words, it includes possible cognates of some Yukaghir stems from other languages, mainly Uralic and Altaic. Since Yukaghir forms are not only cited in their modern shape but are reconstructed, the dictionary will provide a foundation for future etymological work and contribute to investigating the genetic affiliation of Yukaghir, usually classified as isolated. The book will also be useful for linguists interested in the distant genetic relations between language families and the reconstruction of the ethnic and linguistic situation in prehistoric northern Asia.

The Historical Dictionary of Yukaghir has two main purposes.

First, it is intended as a relatively complete source of information on the lexicon of Yukaghir. Tundra and Kolyma Yukaghir are closely related, highly endangered languages spoken in the extreme North-East of Siberia. No modern comprehensive lexicographic description of these languages is available for the international linguistic community. The dictionary presents all known varieties of Yukaghir in comparative format. Some of the materials included come from published sources, others were obtained by the author through fieldwork and are published for the first time. The dictionary also contains examples of now extinct early forms of Yukaghir, which began to be recorded in the late 17th century.

Second, the dictionary provides a first reconstruction of the common ancestor of all known Yukaghir varieties. The proto-Yukaghir stems are established based on internal reconstruction, comparison between various Yukaghir idioms, and external data. Although the dictionary does not attempt to provide etymologies for all Yukaghir words, it includes possible cognates of some Yukaghir stems from other languages, mainly Uralic and Altaic.

Since Yukaghir forms are not only cited in their modern shape but are reconstructed, the dictionary will provide a foundation for future etymological work and contribute to investigating the genetic affiliation of Yukaghir, usually classified as isolated. The book will also be useful for linguists interested in the distant genetic relations between language families and the reconstruction of the ethnic and linguistic situation in prehistoric northern Asia.

The Historical Dictionary of Yukaghir has two main purposes. First, it is intended as a relatively complete source of information on the lexicon of Yukaghir. Tundra and Kolyma Yukaghir are closely related, highly endangered languages spoken in the extreme North-East of Siberia. No modern comprehensive lexicographic description of these languages is available for the international linguistic community. The dictionary presents all known varieties of Yukaghir in comparative format. Some of the materials included come from published sources, others were obtained by the author through fieldwork and are published for the first time. The dictionary also contains examples of now extinct early forms of Yukaghir, which began to be recorded in the late 17th century. Second, the dictionary provides a first reconstruction of the common ancestor of all known Yukaghir varieties. The proto-Yukaghir stems are established based on internal reconstruction, comparison between various Yukaghir idioms, and external data. Although the dictionary does not attempt to provide etymologies for all Yukaghir words, it includes possible cognates of some Yukaghir stems from other languages, mainly Uralic and Altaic. Since Yukaghir forms are not only cited in their modern shape but are reconstructed, the dictionary will provide a foundation for future etymological work and contribute to investigating the genetic affiliation of Yukaghir, usually classified as isolated. The book will also be useful for linguists interested in the distant genetic relations between language families and the reconstruction of the ethnic and linguistic situation in prehistoric northern Asia. Acknowledgements 5 Preface 7 Abbreviations 11 Introduction 15 1. Organization of the dictionary 15 1.1. The structure of an entry 15 1.2. Sources 16 1.3. Presentation of the data and translations 17 1.4. Transcription and transliteration 19 1.5. Grammatical information 21 1.6. Reconstructions, etymologies, and comments 22 2. Sources of the Yukaghir material 24 2.1. Old Yukaghir 24 2.2. End of the 19th century and 20th century 39 3. Basics of Kolyma Yukaghir phonology 43 3.1. Phonemic inventory 43 3.2. Positional restrictions on consonants 48 3.3. Vowel harmony 49 3.4. Alternations of vowels 55 3.5. Alternations of consonants 61 3.6. Epenthesis 66 4. A reconstruction of Proto-Yukaghir phonology 71 4.1. Vocalism 71 4.2. Consonantism 79 4.3. The structure of the stems 88 5. List of affixes 93 Notes 98 References 101 Dictionary 109 Index of meanings 479 Language index 513 Review text: "This excellent work will be of use to anyone engaged in historical research in the nothern Pacific region."Gregory D.S. Anderson in: Diachronica 3/2008 " ... a highly valuable source of information, indispensable for any scholar of Yukaghir, at present or in future."Elena Maslova in: Studies in Language 1/2008 "Nie zuvor ist irgendwo in einem auchnur annährend vergleichbaren Umfang jukagirisches Material aus allen jukagirischen Sprachen gegeben worden."Michael Knüppel in: Orientalische Literaturzeitung 105 (2010) 4-5 Organization Of The Dictionary -- Old Yukaghir -- Basics Of Kolyma Yukaghir Phonology -- A Reconstruction Of Proto Yukaghir Phonology -- List Of Affixes. By Irina Nikolaeva. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.