Journal of Critical Reviews ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 12, 2020 PHONETIC FEATURES OF THE KALMYK AND OIRAT LANGUAGES OF WEST MONGOLIA 1S.M. Trofimova, 2T.M. Kekeeva, 3T.Z. Kekeeva, 4L.A. Nikitina, 5D.N. Ovraeva Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov, Elista, Russia E-mail: [email protected] Received: 10.03.2020 Revised: 11.04.2020 Accepted: 12.05.2020 Abstract The purpose of the article. By comparing the elements of phonetic systems of the modern Kalmyk language and the Oirat language of West Mongolia, the authors aim to identify in these languages the pan-Oirat areal features, the specific phonetic characteristics that were formed during the hundreds of years of independent development in the Kalmyk language and the Oirat language of West Mongolia and preserved through the historical development. The solution to this task may provide the research basis for the future development of issues of historical grammar. Scientific novelty. The comparison of language contacts of Oirats in West Mongolia and Kalmyks living in Russia. The expansion of Oirats over large areas and continuous language contacts must have led to the development of differences in the languages of Oirats in West Mongolia and Kalmyks in Kalmykia. There are new opportunities to compare the identical variants in different contact situations, which allows one to assess the importance of such factors as the structural similarity on the phonetic level of the contacting languages. As a result, the prerequisites will be formed for the creation of historical grammar of the Mongolian protolanguage. This research topic is unique in global Mongolian studies. Results. The study of the Kalmyk language and the Oirat language of West Mongolia has indicated that during the four centuries of independent development, the Kalmyk language has remained practically unchanged within one of its main levels – phonetic and is almost similar to the Oirat language area formed in the ancient times. Conclusions. The phonetic structure of the modern Kalmyk language has remained practically unchanged and retains the features of the Oirat language area. Keywords: phonetic interference, Kalmyk language, language of West Mongolia Oirats, old Mongolian language, long vowels, vowel fracture. © 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.12.94 INTRODUCTION Thus, the Oirats are currently divided into four groups that are There are no languages that have not experienced the in contact with different languages. influence of other languages during their historical development. The ancestors of the Kalmyk and Mongolian Among the linguistic contacts of the Oirats, the most ancient Oirat native speakers form the northwestern area of Mongolic are contacts with the Turkic languages and the most languages and, localizing in Central Asia, blend with the Turkic significant for the modern condition are with Russian (for tribes that used to live there, forming the group of the proto- Kalmyk) and Khalkha-Mongol (for Oirats of Western Mongolic tribes. Historians named this group of tribes shiwei Mongolia). To establish how deep the influence of the Russian and it was subsequently divided into three large ethnic groups language on the modern Kalmyk language is and to – Oirats, Buryats and Khalkhas. By the time when Genghis understand how it differs in structure from the Oirat language Khan's empire was formed, Oirats had not yet become a nation of Western Mongolia, it is necessary to compare the results of and were part of different tribes. However, every Oirat tribe the development of the modern Kalmyk language with the had its own language, which had specific and pan-Oirat features of the Oirat language of Western Mongolia developing characteristics. After the fall of the Yuan empire, Oirats were under Khalkha-Mongolian influence. In this case, it will be temporarily united within the Dzungar Khanate. Defeated by possible to confirm which features appeared as a result of the Manchus, they were partially destroyed and partially contact influences (and distinguish the Kalmyk language from scattered across the territories of different states. Some of the other Oirat languages) and which are part of the internal Oirats migrated from the region of East Kazakhstan to the development of the system. These results are important for Volga steppes, forming the Kalmyk Khanate, which included comparative historical linguistics in general and the theory of Dörbets, Torghuts, Khoshuts and some other Oirat tribes. linguistic changes. There they subsequently took Russian citizenship and became The article involves the analysis of language contacts of the part of the Russian Empire. For over 400 years, Kalmyks have Kalmyk language and the Oirat language of Mongolia on the experienced an increasing influence from the Russian language phonetic level if they occur. By comparing the elements of the and culture on their language and ethnic culture. Another part phonetic structure of the modern Kalmyk literary language of the Oirats, consisting of the same Dörbets, Torghuts, and the Oirat language of West Mongolia, we will attempt to Khoshuts, as well as Myangads, Olots, Baits, Zakhchins and identify the pan-Oirat areal features and the specific phonetic other tribes, continued to remain in the territory of characteristics in the modern Kalmyk language in the process northwestern Mongolia and was strongly influenced by the of its historical development, as well as to define the Khalkha language and culture. distinctive features of the Kalmyk language and its features Some of the Oirats were moved to Xinjiang where they that were formed in its development. According to L.V. experienced a strong influence of the language and culture of Shcherba's fair observation, "the world that has been given to the local Turks, Uyghurs and Kazakhs, as well as the Chinese. A us in our direct experience, while remaining the same small part of the Oirats who lived in Xinjiang converted to everywhere, is cognized differently in different languages, Islam and was forced to Kyrgyzstan to the region of Issyk-Kul including those spoken by peoples that form a unity from the Lake where they still live. These Oirats, called Sart Kalmyks, cultural point of view" [1, p. 49]. This article was based on the can now be said to have lost their language and culture and particular materials from the modern Kalmyk language, the have become completely Kyrgyz, switching to their language. Oirat language of West Mongolia, the data from the old Mongolian language was also used. All this is because the Oirat language of West Mongolia and the Kalmyk language have the Journal of critical reviews 519 PHONETIC FEATURES OF THE KALMYK AND OIRAT LANGUAGES OF WEST MONGOLIA same proto-language – the language of the Shiwei-Mongols, shanaga from the old Mong. ǯinaγ-а "ladle", Kalm. махн makhn, according to V.I. Rassadin, "the common northwestern branch Oir. махн makhn from the old Mong. miqan "meat", Kalm. of old Mongolian languages which separated from the зурhан zurqan, Oir. зургаан zurqaan from the old Mong. northeastern and southern branches quite early" [2, p. 5]. ǯirγuγan "six". METHODS To achieve the goal set in the article, one must The short vowel *о (о) of the non-palatalized row remains in comprehensively use the following well-proven scientific its initial form in most cases, for example, Kalm. ботхн botkhn, methods and approaches: description, interpretation, Oir. ботхан botkhan from the old Mong. botuγun "young integration, the comparative-contrastive method and the giraffe", Kalm. orn орн, Oir. орон oron from the old Mong. orun comparative-historical method. As Mongolic languages are not "bed", Kalm. товч tovch, Oir. тобчи tobchi from the old Mong. equally well explored and described and some of them are still tobči "button", Kalm. толhа tolqa, Oir. толгаа tolqaa from the almost unknown to science, the descriptive method of old Mong. toluγai "head" or due to the vowel fracture of *ï,for studying Mongolic languages remains relevant. The need for example, Kalm. җола jola, Oir. jolaa from the old Mong. ǯiluγ-a descriptive studies does not subside within Mongolic studies. "reins", Kalm., Oir. Чон chon from the old Mong. činua "wolf". At the same time, it is important to note that the old The short vowel *у (и) of the non-palatalized row also Mongolian, Buryat and Kalmyk languages have already been preserves its initial form. For example, Kalm. утцн utzn, Oir. described relatively thoroughly which will make it possible to утсан utsan from the old Mong. utasun "thread", Kalm. урл url, start the comparative-historical studies of linguistic elements Oir. урул urul from the old Mong. uruγul "reins", Kalm. хумсн and prepare the basis for the creation of historical grammars khumsn, Oir. хумсун khumsun from the old Mong. qumsun of these languages. "nail". The vowel а appeared in the first syllable instead of *i The Kalmyk language materials used were the published due to the vowel fracture. For example, Kalm. утх utq, Oir. dictionaries [3], grammars [4, 5], monographs [6, 7, 8], утга utga from the old Mong. qituγ-a "knife", Kalm. нурhн research articles studying the phonetic structure of the nurqn, Oir. нургн nurgn from the old Mong. niruγun "back", modern Kalmyk language [9, 10], as well as our personal Kalm. цусн tsusn, Oir. цусн tsusn from the old Mong. čisun. observations of the colloquial Kalmyk speech. The Oirat The vowel *ы (ï) of the non-palatalized row in the first syllable materials were taken from the Oirat dialect dictionary in the modern Kalmyk language and the Oirat language of compiled by Zh. Tsoloo [11], dialectological notes, prepared by West Mongolia, according to V.I. Rassadin, "was not preserved Professor V.I. Rassadin in 2007 and 2009 during the trips to and was transformed either into other vowels of the non- West Mongolia, as well as personal observations.