Finnic-Saamic labial vowels of non-initial syllables: an etymological evaluation

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Abstract

In the current article, a critical analysis is done of the corpus of proposed Finnic-Saamic etymological cognates showing second-syllable labial vowels in both language groups. The data is taken from the etymological dictionary Suomen sanojen alkuperä (SSA, 1992–2000) and assessed in the light of current research on Uralic sound history and language contacts. The analysis reveals that more than half of the cognate pairs previously suggested by SSA cannot be regarded as actual cognates including their stem vowels, but as results of loan contacts and parallel developments. There are, however, a dozen cognate pairs with sound correspondences undeniably showing inheritance from a common protolanguage and thus suggesting that the development of second-syllable labial vowels may have originated in a common Finno-Saamic protolanguage, even if their wider adoption in the phonological and morphological systems of these languages did not take place until later.
Translated title of the contributionItämerensuomalais-saamelaiset jälkitavun labiaalivokaalit: etymologinen arviointi
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationΠερὶ ὀρθότητος ἐτύμων : uusiutuva uralilainen etymologia
EditorsSampsa Holopainen, Janne Saarikivi
Number of pages65
Place of PublicationHelsinki
PublisherSuomalais-Ugrilainen Seura
Publication date2018
Pages11-75
ISBN (Print)978-952-7262-04-7
ISBN (Electronic)978-952-7262-05-4
Publication statusPublished - 2018
MoE publication typeA3 Book chapter

Publication series

NameUralica Helsingiensia
PublisherSuomalais-Ugrilainen Seura
Number11
ISSN (Print)1797-3945

Fields of Science

  • 6121 Languages

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