Mongolian anthroponyms in the Tuvan version of the Buddhist work “Üleger-Dalay”

Nowadays, no works in Tuvinian linguistics consider the specificity of anthroponyms borrowed from the Mongolian language, peculiarities of their adaptation and functioning in Tuvan Buddhist texts. Meanwhile, studying this word group can shed light on the formation and functioning of the Tuvan Buddhist vocabulary and reveal additional data on the history of the formation of lexical and phonetic features of the Tuvinian language associated with the Tuvan- Mongolian language and cultural contacts. It is worth studying Mongolian borrowed anthroponyms in the Tuvan translation of the Buddhist work “Üleger-Dalay” – the sutra “Sea of Proverbs,” the only Tuvan Buddhist source not influenced by the Russian-speaking Buddhist literature actively published and translated into Tuvan since the 1990s. The specificity of the Mongolian anthroponyms analyzed is that their nominative function simultaneously characterizes the referent and reflects its essence. They are divided into six thematic groups: names-epithets of Buddha, names associated with Buddhist practices, names indicating the inner qualities of a person, names of celestials, names associated with natural objects, names with somatismatic components indicating the appearance or associated with the circumstances of the referent’s birth. They are divided into three structural types: 1-component, 2-component (most of them), and 3-component. All borrowed Mongolian names have mostly been adapted to the phonetic norms of the Tuvinian language. The main ways of phonetic transformation are assimilation, formation of long vowels, replacement of some sounds and sound combinations with other sounds, simplification of vowels.

Publication of Koryak folklore texts: causes of orthography variability

This work is motivated by graphic and orthographic difficulties in preparing Koryak texts for publication in the “Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East.” Koryak language spelling difficulties are analyzed for the first time, particularly non-trivial cases of ambiguous spelling requiring comprehension and codification. For example, the spelling of equivocal vowel sound [ә] proves a problem. The normative spelling not allowing two conso- nants at the beginning of a word is due to the historical reconstruction of the Koryak phonological system. However, the indefinite vowel [ә] sometimes is reduced so as not to be identified by the modern Koryak speakers, with its designation with the letter ы [ә] causing reading mistakes. Also, the spelling of йи [ji] or йы [jә] is complicated, with the choice between these two variants based on morphologic principle and defined by this syllable position in the word: root morpheme, affix or in between two morphemes. The spelling of soft consonant followed by equivocal sound [ә], designated in writing by ы [ә], remains to be identified. This combination provokes orthographic variability observed in th-ɣe publications in Koryak. Variability appears in spellings of word forms with -гыйӈ [-ɣәjŋ], -ӈыйт [-ŋәjt] and in spellings of double consonants between two morphemes. The orthographic variability in Koryak publications is due to the conflict in phonemic and morphologic principles relevant for Koryak spelling. Moreover, given the dominant bilingualism, Koryak writing is strongly influenced by the Russian spelling, making the possibility of developing a national writing culture questionable.

Consonantism of Plautdietsch, the language of the German Mennonites of Siberia: the problem of identifying labial phonemes

This work aims at identifying and describing the articulatory characteristics of the labial-labial and labial-dental consonant phonemes of the language of the Mennonite Germans of Siberia by distributive analysis and magnetic resonance imaging. The language of German Mennonites, referred to as Plautdietsch (self-designation Plotdich), or Mennonitenplatt, has a complex mixed character due to the history of its speakers. Through the centuries changing their place of residence, Mennonites, representatives of a special ethno-confessional community, now live in various countries of North and South America, European countries, and Russia. Of particular interest is the phonetic appearance of this language. For the first time, the description of its phonemic composition is carried out using the methods of experimental phonetics. The research material was collected from two native speakers (Neudachino, Novosibirsk region). Twenty tomograms were described and analyzed using the methodology of the Laboratory of Experimental Phonetic Research named after V. M. Nadelyaev, Institute of Philology, SB RAS. The tomography program comprised eleven word forms, with the target sound in the initial and final positions. The paper provides language material, with series of words in different phonetic contexts, a summary distribution table, and three tables describing the tomograms. Following N. S. Trubetskoy’s rules of phoneme selection, sound analysis identified five labial phonemes: noisy labial-labial mouth-bowed / p/ and / b/, noisy labial-dental mouth-slotted /v/ and /f/ and sonorous nasal-bowed /m/. Also, the analysis of MRI images determined the constitutive-differential features characteristic of the phonetic subsystem of labial consonantism of Plautdietsch.

Shor vocabulary against the lexical background of other Turkic languages: terms of “literary genres”

Shor terms denoting literary genres are used in modern processes of developing the literary form of Shor, the utmost necessary condition for the regeneration of the language. The terms concerned are compared with analogous units in the Turkic languages of different status. The comparison involves the genetically close Teleut and Kumandy languages, with their literary and schooling process interrupted for nearly fifty years. The other languages under comparison are Khakass and Altai. These are genetically close to Shor and have been developing their literary forms from the start, from the end of the 19th century under Russian Orthodox Church guidance. The languages of more distant relationships are Tuvan, with Buddhists being the native speakers, and Yakut, with native speakers baptized in the 19th century. The comparison material includes the terminology of Western and southern Turkic languages with an Arab-Persian literary tradition. The results of the study show a high degree of preservation of the literary genre terminology in the modern Shor language and their significant material similarity with the Siberian Turkic terms. The genre terminology in the Western and Southern Turkic languages reveals an Arab-Persian lexical base. However, these languages retain some inherent Turkic features: word-formation models of the terms, the Turkic “core” lexemes in combined terms, e.g., sӧs (word). The nomination motive of some terms coincides with the same phenomenon in the Siberian Turkic languages, e.g., the notions of “laughter”, “joke”, “game” form a term “a funny story”.

Ways of evolution of Tuvan Buddhist lexis

In modern Tuvan, religious lexis is actively evolving as a part of Tuvan lexis in general. It consists of several parts: Shamanist terms, Buddhist terms, and terms common for both religious systems, with the latter mostly involving ritual terms. Religious lexis reflects the entire Tuvan nation’s spiritual life and its history and continues to evolve by its own resources and loanwords from Mongolian, Tibetan, and Russian languages. Most loanwords are Buddhist. Before 1930, Buddhist lexis would be borrowed orally. Later, most religious terms were effectively forgotten and existed as passive vocabulary. Starting with the 1990s, religious lexis has become active again and is constantly enriched by Tuvan words and loanwords, particularly Buddhist terms. Translations play a significant role in this process, with the Russian language serving as an intermediary between Tuvan and Buddhist texts translated from Tibetan, English, and German. The variety and instability in religious lexis are due to a large number of loanwords and different forms of word spelling.

Deciphering etymologically unknown names of musical instruments of Siberia and Russian Far East

This study presents etymological deciphering using ancient Japanese ways of reading ancient Chinese scripts of the names for the five types of stringed instruments, known as komuz, tatonpa, sugut, tambur, and tonkori. Based on the phonetic variants of the term komuz written in Roman and Russian alphabets and Chinese scripts, two hypothetical forms *qonbulrsukie and *qonbulrsir were reconstructed: qon ‘sheep’, bulr ‘tendon’, sukie ‘string’, sir ‘string’. As to the form tatonpa, the ancient form *siudonbule {siu ‘boar’ + don ‘gut’ + bule ‘tendon-fiber’} was revealed. The hypothetical form *siugudi {siu ‘boar’ + gudi ‘gut’} was reconstructed from the phonetic variants of the name sugut, written in Chinese scripts. The hypothetical form *donbule {don ‘gut’ + bule ‘tendon-fiber’} was reconstructed from the phonetic variants of the name tambur written in Chinese scripts. An Ainu word tonkori consists of Altaic root-forms don ‘gut’ and kur ‘string-instrument’, followed by an Ainu suffix {i} ‘that’. We have proved that, except for the Ainu suffix {i}, all the root forms linguistically belong to Altaic lan- guages. Not a few ethnographers dealt with the etymological analysis of instrument names encountered in Siberia and the Russian Far East, mainly taking into account the context of shamanism. It is known that shamans used the instruments as tools in healing rituals. However, contrary to our expectations, the reconstructed root forms of the names revealed practical aspects of daily life.

Ainu percussion instruments

Ainu people are the indigenous inhabitants of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, and Hokkaido. This work aimed to study Russian and Japanese museum funds, analyze musical transcripts performed by the author, and review Russian and Japanese academic literature. The article deals with the percussion musical and sound instruments of the Ainu – idiophones and membranophones. The term “sound instrument” refers to archaic sound instruments that were not usually perceived as musical. They were considered as such only at the moment of their sounding. The author pays special attention to poorly studied instruments, such as a sonic log, sticks, a board, a lacquered barrel lid, rattles, bells, a shaman tambourine, and a beater. The article analyzes the etymology of the names of instruments, structure, material of manufacture, techniques of playing. Most of the Ainu tools were made of wood and had a simple design. Percussion instruments are multifunctional. On the one hand, they performed a musical function – they rhythmically organized a song or recitation. They sounded during the performance of epic legends, various songs. On the other hand, instruments were sacred objects. The author traces their close connection with the worldview, mythological ideas of the ancient people. All of them were associated with the ritual practice: they were used in shamanic rituals, bear holidays, magic actions. Their sounding was thought to provide communication with the spirit world.

How, where and when authentic traditions of Jaw Harp music of Siberia and the Far East have been forming. Part 3: The influence of the materials for manufacturing, their availability and the history of their manufacturing technologies on the acoustic properties of Jaw Harp and tonal organization of its music

This article completes the series dedicated to the methodology of research of the vocal system of Jaw Harp’s articulation within the surviving indigenous traditions of Siberia and the Far East. This last part introduces and examines the relation between the tonal organization of Jaw Harp music and the material of Jaw Harp’s making. The acoustic properties of five most common materials (grass, bamboo, wood, bone, and metal) are discussed in relation to specific traits of Jaw Harp music in the context of the archaeological evidence for a possible timeline of human mastering of the principal manufacturing technologies while taking into consideration the general availability of necessary raw materials throughout the Holocene in Northeastern Eurasia. The authors introduce a novel concept of spectral texture, instrumental for the analysis of timbre-oriented forms of music (such as Jaw Harp music). The results of such analysis are cross-examined against the available data on paleoclimatic conditions in a geographic area of distribution of each of the principal Jaw Harp constructions. This new multi-disciplinary approach enables the authors to infer two pan-regional traditions: Jaw Harps made of metal versus Jaw Harps made of organic materials. Each of these traditions is characterized by its own tonal model, preferred types of musical texture, semantic sphere of use, the area of geographic distribution, and the general vector of historic spread. The new proposed methodology can be applied to other musical instruments that are commonly manufactured from different materials.

Circumstantial modifier in Munchu-Tungu languages: structural and semantic aspect. I. Circumstantial modifier of place

The traditional semantic classification in the Manchu-Tungus languages involves the following circumstantial modifiers: with a temporal meaning (the circumstantial modifiers of time), with a locative meaning (the circumstantial modifiers of a place), of manner, of comparison, with the semantics of conditioning (conditions, reasons or goals), and of negative performance (concession and unfulfilled intentions). The circumstantial modifiers of locative and temporal semantics expressed by the noun case forms demonstrate certain “convergences-divergences” and “overlapping” with indirect objects concerning their formal characteristics. However, the semantic features and some positional restrictions in the sentence structure still allow these to be differentiated. The object most often demonstrates a locally restricted action, with the circumstantial modifiers mainly indicating a location or movement in space, the boundaries of which are very conditional and cannot be clearly marked at all.

Edward Alekseyev – founder of Yakut ethnomusicology

The paper studies the life and creative path of the outstanding Russian ethnomusicologist E. E. Alekseev. He was born in 1937 in Yakutsk. He studied at the Moscow State Conservatory, named after P. I. Tchaikovsky. He wrote a large number of scientific papers. To a great extent, he explored the mode-scale and mode-intonation sphere of Yakut folk song and early folklore traditional music. He created models of the mode-intonation basis of archaic singing. He also studied various aspects of the traditional singing of Yakuts: genres and styles, the connections of the word and music of Yakut folk songs, the heterophonic polyphony of the Yakut ritual osuokhai, and the Yakut folk instrument khomus. Together with N. N. Nikolaeva, he published the collection of Yakut folk songs of various styles and genres (“Samples of Yakut song folklore”). He conducted the editorial work on the publication of other researchers’ works. He edited the piano works of G. A. Grigoryan. He participated in the release of the record “Ustin Nokhsorov Sings” and the creation of the documentary “Times of dreams” about shamans of Siberia and the Far East. As a composer, he created romances, choirs, and treatments of folk songs. He composed “Sergelyakhsky sketches” comprising 4 piano pieces. Together with composer G. N. Komrakov, he created the opera “Song of Manchary” on a historical plot. His research work is being developed by Russian and foreign researchers of musical folklore. A lot of statements put forward by E. E. Alekseev have further prospects for study.