Development of Afro-Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic) Comparative-historical Linguistics in Russia and the Former Soviet Union

220 Pages·79.188 MB·English

by  Gábor Takács

GRAD
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tpment of Afro-Asiatic
(Semito-Hamitic) Comparativ---e
Historical Linguistics in Russia
and the Former Soviet Union
Gabor Takacs
LINCOM Studies In
Afro11:slatic Llngu/stlc;s 02
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LINCOM Studies In
Afroasiatic Linguistics
Development of Afro-Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic)
Comparative-Historical Linguistics in Russia
and the Fonner Soviet Union
Gabor Takacs
~·-
This project was supported by the grant (no. 1084/1997) of the
Research Support Scheme [RSS) (Prague, Czechla)
of the Open Sodety Institute (Soros Foundation) In 1997-1998.
1999
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Published by LINCOM EUROPA 1999.
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Printed in E.C.
Die Deutsche Bibliothek-CIP-Einheitaaufnahme
Takics, G6bor:
Development of Afre>-Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic) comparative-historical linguistics
in Russia and the former Soviet Union I Takb, Gabor. -
MOnchen; Newcastle : LINCOM EUROPA, 1999
(LINCOM Studies In Afroasiatic linguistics ; 02)
ISBN 3-89588-591-5
Printed on chlorine-free paper
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lmruduction: Aims ofm y work . . . 1
Tools and 90Ul'Cel ... 2
Predecessors of D'jakonov: lqiMi1J81 ofS emitic and Afi'o..Asiatic linguistics in Rmaia and the Soviet
Union ... 2
first scncration: P. K. Kokovcov, B. T. Turacv ... 3
Second generation: •0cputmeat of Scmito-Hamitic Studies" (I. Ju. Km&owkij, N. V. Julmlnov, A.
P. Riftin, A Ja. Borisov, I. G. Frank-Kamencckij, D. A. Ol'deroge) ... 3
lnboduction to the history of Afto..Asiatic comparative linguistics in the USSR/Russia &oat 1965 ... 6
ThRe periods of Afto..Asiatic linguistic raeardl in the USSR/Russia after 1965 ... 6
General cbaracterizatio and representatives ofv arious fields of Afi'o..AsiaDc linguistica in the USSR
and Russia ... 7
Contribution ofI . M. D'jakonov (Diakonoft) to Afi'o..Aliatic linsuilticl ... 8
Review of D'.jakonov, I. M. etc.: Srawitel'no-istorK!eskij slovar' ahzijskihjazykov [Compantivo
ffiltcricaJ Vocabulary of Afi'o..Asiatic Languascs) 1-111 ... 15
A B. Dolgopolsky's Work in the field ofC usbitic and Afio..Asiatic ~cal
Linguistics ... 35
Dolgopol'sk.ij's comparative Cusbitic rcseardl in 1966-1976 ... 35
Dolgopolslcy's study on comparative Culbitic pboaology ftom 1966: l'OOll with initial labials and
dealals ... 35
Dolgopolsky on initial ...__and •1>-in Cusbitic (1967) ... 38
Dolgopolsky's ltUdy on comparative Cuabitic phonology ftom 1972: l'OOll with the initial voiced velar
(•g) ... 41
Dolgopolsky on vcrbel endings in Cushitic ( 1972) ... 42
Dolgopolsky's word list ofHadiya (1973) ... 42
Dolgopolsky's comparative Cushitic: dictionary (1973) ... 43
Dolgopol'skij's other worb on comparative Afi'o..Asiatic in the USSR (before 1976) ... 54
Dolgopolsky Oil root structure in Mio-Asiatic ( 1967) . . . 54
Dolgopolsky's Afio..Asiatic etymologies from 1970 ... 54
Dolgopolsky's Afto..Asiatic etymologies from 1972 ... 56
Dolgopolsky's Afi'o..Asiatic comparative word list (197S) ... SI
Dolgopolsky's research on comparative Afio..Asiatic afts 1976 ... 60
Dolgopolsky and tbc Proco-Semitic reconstruction ... 60
Dolgopolsky's work on Afio..Asiatic phonological corrcspondencel in tbc recent doc:adel (afts 1976)
... 62
f>olaopolsky on epcmbetic ·~in Sura-Angas (1982) ... 62
Compariloa off.at Cuabitic and Semitic by Dolgopolsky (1983) ... 63
Dolgopolsky on Afio..Asiatic pcnona1 proaoum ( 1984) ... 65
Dolgopolsky's study on reflection oftbc Sou1b Cusbitic lataa.11 in Semitic and F.at Cushitic (1987) ...
65
Rcieomtruc:cion ofCbadic pcnona1 pronouns by Dolgopolsky (1988) ... 66
Comparilon of word initial "laryngeals" in Semitic and East Cusbitic (1988) ... 66
Dolgopolsky's Afi'o..Asiatic etymologies scauaed in a prdimary report on NOllnllic comparative
pboaology (1989) ... 66
Reconstruction ofl ateral consonants in Prob-Afio.Asiatic by Dolaq>Olsky (1989) ... 68
Dolgopolsky Oil Chadic c:onapondcnc:cs of Semitic•! (1990) ... 70
Dolgopolsky on rd'lexcs of Proco-Semitic ·~ in Aramaic IDd Afi'o..AsiaDc ( 1992) ... 71
New Afio..Asiatic etymologies with initial •p-anct •p. (1994) ... 71
Dolgopolsky on memal relations of Afto..Asiatic ( 1994) ... 72
Dolgopolsky on the Afio..Asiatic origin ofs ome Semitic names of body pm1S (1994) ... 72
Dolgopolsky on origin off eminine gender markers in Mio-Asiatic ( 1996) ... 73
Dolgopolsky's Afi'o..Asiatic dymoioSY for the Semitic accusative marker (1998) ... 73
... .
II
The Afro-Asiatic mltCria.I in the mOlt rcc:eat book 91'be Noltr.cic: M8cm&unily Md Linpiltic
PaJeontho~ by A. Do11opolsky (1991) ... 74
Coarribution olV. M. llli~-Svityt to a.die~ IJ'11'1ilticl ... 11
V. Ja. Porhomovskij'• contribution to a.die lbldies ... 14
Kdoko reconmuction by Porbomovskij (Im) ... 14
Porbomovskij on theoretical issues of Cbadic and Afro.Asiltic linpiltica ... 16
v.
0. Stolbova'• contribution to Cbadic ~ linauiltica ... 16
Stolbova'a first results in the seventies and eipties (1972-1914) ... 17
Stolbova's Proto-West-Cbadic rcconSCJuction (1916-1917) ... 17
lmcnncu.o: Stolbova and Orel on Cbadic IDd Afro.Asimic ... 97
Stolbova'1 work on Proto-Cbldic in the recent yean ... 99
The New"~ F.tymological Dictionuy" by V. Orel IDd 0. Sto1baYa ... 107
A. 0. Bclova's contribution to Semitic and F'8)'plian compu'8liw Ddiel ... 113
Studies by Bclova on the Semitic root ltJudure . . . 113
The "Law of Bclova" for Egyptian roou lac j-and w- ... 115
Belova on reflexes of Semitic sibilanb in Ancient F.gyptiln . . . 120
Belova'1 raeardl in South Sanitic (Arabic, Arabian, F.&bio-Semitic) linpiltica ... 121
A. Ju. Militarcv'1 contribution to comparativc-biatorical Afro-AaiMic linguiltica ... 122
~ Militarev Oil root variants in Semitic (1973) ... 123
Militarev'• propoul on Proto-Semitic •p (1976) ... 123
An Afro-Asiatic etymology by Militarev &om 1912 ... 123
'\_ Militarev on common Afro.Asiatic agricuJtwal terminology ... 124
Militarcv'1 theory for the Proto-Afro-Asiatic homeland ... 125
Militarev on lldc intcrbrancb borrowinp within Afro-Asiatic (1914) ... 126
Militam'1 theory on the Afro-Asiatic origin olMeroitic (1914) ... 126
Militarev and Staroltin on the Afro-Asiatic-North Caucui111 lexical parallell (1914 Md 1994) ...
127
MilitaRV'1 Afro-Asiatic etymologies for the meuiq "lo crate" ( 1916) . . . 127
Militarcv'1 lcxical parallels betwcm Afro.Asiatic and lndo-F.uropcan (1917) ... 127
Militarcv'1 comparative Afro-Asiatic word Jim (1987-1990) ... 127
Mililarcv'• Egyptian-Coptic 810U0cbronology <1 919) . . . 128
Recomtruction of the Proto-Afro.Asiatic terminology in tho lelDllllic field ofd wellina etc. ( 1919) ...
121
Militarev'1 fbrtbcr lexical parallels between Afro-Asiatic and Neu FMmn ....,,.., (1991) ... 129
Militarev's recent work on Proto-Semitic rccomtrudion . . . 129
Militarev on Afro-Asiatic dementa in the Sumerian lcxi<x>n ... 129
Militarev'1 contribution to Berber compantive-historical linpiltic:a ... 130
Militarev on the i.ntcma1 classification oft he Berber languaaes ... 130
Militarev'1 contribution to Guanche historical phonology ... 131
Militarev on the prehistory of the Tuarep .. . 132
Three studies on comparative-historical Berber phonolosY and lexicon by Militamt &om 1991 ... 132
Ocher contributions to Semitic comparabve lioguiatic:I in Ruaia Md the USSR . . . 131
Berber and Afro-Asiatic studies by Ju. N. Z..Vldovskij and A. Ju. Ajhenval'd ... 139
bvadovsk.ij and Maghrebi Arabic .. . 139
bvadovskij'1 achievementl in Berber linguiltica ... 139
bvadowk.ij on Meroitic and Nubian ... 144
Berber studiCI by Ajbcnval'd . . . 144
Contribution of D. A. Orderogge to Cbadic and Afro-Asiatic linpiltics ... 145
Contribution ofl. A. Olnickaja and B. S. Fibman to a.tic linpiltics ... 146
~ linguisbcl in the USSR IDd Ruaia IDd the "MOICOW IChool of con. ..i ili¥'C linguiatica" ...
147
Wort done by the memben oft he ,.Moecow ldlool" in their proper fields ofr acarcb ... 151
Abbreviations of languages, language periods ... 1'2
Olber &equendy .t>breviated tennl and cxpreaions ... 153
Abbreviations ol namct of ftequcady quoted IUtbon . . . I ~3
Ill
Sips u1echpecially in dlis work . . . IS3
Tramaiption . . . 154
Quoced litenturc .. . ISS
1
IN11UJDUCTJON: AIMS OF MY WORK
My lbldy coaccms a piece of history of Afro..Asiatic (with an outdlted altamtive term:
Semito-Hamitic) linpiltc rescarc:b. Comparative Afro.Asiatic linguistics bu the task to anafy1.e
relllionsbip between the copate branches of the Afro.Asiatic language fiunily: Semitic, Egyptian,
Berber, Cutbitic, Omotic, and Cbadic, in order to recomttuct the phonology, common vocabulary and
pmmnat of their supposed parent language: Proto-Afro..Asiatic. While the comparative linguistic
lludy of lndo-European languages is of a wry high level in our days, then Afro..Aliatic linguistica is
still in its infancy. This fact goes back to more reasons. One of them is that, with the exception of
Semitic, Egyptian and Old Libyan (an ancient Berber language in North Africa), the ovcrbelmina
majority of ~Asiatic languages spoken in North Africa are known only in their modem form (the
fint records of these languages being from the second half of the 19th century), and thus the affinity
bdwew them wu recognized much later, often only in the tint halfo fo ur century.
Since the middle of the sixties of our century, a new stream of Afro.Asiatic 1inguiltics bu
d&Mloped in the former Soviet Union. The begiMing of this new trend may be viewed 196~. when I.
M. D'jakooov'a frequently quoted book "Scmito-Hamitic Languages [Semitohamibkic jazyki)", a
milcstoac in this field, appeared. This stream or "school" bu produced since then an extraordinarily
rich COllbibution of high level to comparative Semito-Hamitic. The great pros1et1 in Afto..Asilbc
linpistics during the latest three decades is due to tint of all just this llream, which is DOWIMlays
simply 1efe11ed to u the "MOICOW school" or the "D1jakonov team".
Jn spite of their outstanding impor1ancc. these results have hardly reached the "WCltem"
scholarship of this field, the represenrativcs of which still know less than delired about whit bu been
ldlieved in Afto..Asiatic linguistics in Russia. There is a great need for an cuily awilable history and
cleailcd appraisal ofthe results of this "Moecow echool" in a "Western" language.
I consider several circumstances importanr. which stimulate and make hiablY actual to
accomplish 'a°• l lUdy on the ICiencc history of ~Asiatic linguistics in Russia. During the last three
decides or the Russian comparativists have created such a signi.fic:ant contribution of the bigbcst
level to the compantive study of Afro.Asiatic languages that would even in itself dcscrve a special
lbJdy. However, painfully enough, many-many oftbe worb and results of the Ru11ian linguists were
mDI recently hardly available for the Western scbolan for several reasons. Fi.m of all, there wu a
laapage problem: until the latest times almolt everything (boob, articles) bas been publisbed by the
tbc Russian c:ompcuativists in Russian. Tbcrc was (and is) an economic problem: boob by the Ruaian
specialists of Afto..Asiatic were and are published with an cxtremcly limited circulation (usulally
around 100-300 copies). For instance, their mapm opta: duec volumes of the "revolutionary"
"SravnitelM-istoriteskij slOYll" aftazijskib jazykov (Comparative-Historical Vocabulary of Afiasian
Languages" (MOICOW, 1981-1986) were published in 200 copies in a pcriodical, which wu ~ly
imccessible for the rest of the ecbolarsbip of this field (even in the former socitlist COUDlrics). As the
main author of this Vocabulary, Prof. I. M. D'.jakonov bas admitted me, only 2 or 3 copies of the
Vocabulary wae sent abroad (to the USA). In general, the Russian "Aftasianists• have published not
too much easily accessible. There was alao a political problem before 1991: most specialist of Afro..
Alillic cooJd hardly participate at any professional conferences abroad. At least, up to 1987, the
Ruuian specialists could not take part almost in any C<llferencc oft heir field abroad.
For all these reuoas I have decided to compile the praent lbldy, in which I tried to fulfil the
&>Uowing basic tub:
1. To give the fint ICience history of the "MOICOW tchool" of the put 1brce dcc:adcl, a grad period
llld leading stream oft he comparative-hiscal Afro.Asiatic linguistics.
2. To present a comprehensive and detailed critical scientific appraisal of the results, achieved by the
Rllaian scholars in comparing the Afro.Asiatic languages and rcconstnac:ting Proto-~Aliltic. I
tried to coqme and if (needed) oppose these Russian results to thole of lhc "WCltem" colJaaues,
iDMMting my own research results in comparative Afro.Asiatic studies.
Acconliagly, my work includes the following parts:
I. A general overview of roots of Afro.Asiatic linguistics in Russia before 1965.
2. A general survey ofd evelopment of Afro-Asiatic studies from l ~ in Ruaia.
3. A IDOlt detailed presentation and critical appaaisal of works by the Ruaian compuativiltl on Afro..
Asillic canparatiYo linguistic:a in the put 1brce dcc:adea, wilh special reprd to lhc recomtrudioa of
2
A&o-Aliatic coinplrative phonology and lc:xicoa. This objective crilique of raultl by the Rullian
spccialistl in the field of Afto.Aliatic ia done in the liabt of reeearc:b ftllulll of other ICbolan of our
field (incl. my own observations).
4. A concise description of the 90-Callod "NOltralic theory• IDd •MOICOW ldlool of conipa.-jve
linauiatics•. Tbil ia actually an outlook OD a very fruitfW period of compantive linpiltic ICUdiea in
the fieJd of other language families (lndo-F.uropean, Uralic, Alcaic, North C1ue11ian, and Kartve.lim •
South CaucuUm, etc.) in Russia in the latest three decades.
.S. My work ends with I ~rebemivo bibliography of all cited worb. This is at the mae time the
fint bibliography that includes all Ruuiln worb on Afro-Asiatic linsuiatics from 1965.
The present work wu written in 1997-1998 with the support of Raeuch Support Scheme
(Prague. CJJCChia) oftbe Soroe Fouodatioo, for which I am deeply iodebted. Collection of the daaa fur
tbia monograph was finished in September 1998. The text of the pl'CICllll lbldy wu completed sboftly
afterwards. My latest visit to Russia took place in MltumD 1997. So. the infonmlioo OD the works
published in Russia reflect buically the aituatioll ofI lle 1997.
TOOi .SAND SOURCF.8
The primary IOUR:CI fOr my work are the Rullian ecieatific public:atioal tbemlclVCI (lee the
bibliography) wl my penoaaJ C0111Ultaliom with the Ruaian compu'ltiviltl (aub•mn 199.S and
autumn 1997).
Besides, in .ctditiOD, I have II.to c:omiderablo U10 of 101DO molt recent biblioaJ'aphies
publ.ilhed in Russian in Rulli& (tbele are, however, not at all 11 complete 11 my bibliography
concerning the Russian worb). The following Russian bibliopaphia have been consulted (for
relevant bibliographical details on them see my bibliography It the end of my work):
1. RSUAS (publ.ilbcd in 1984): bibliography of worb by Soviet ICbolan OD Aayriology and
Sumerology between 1917-1983.
2. RSUDPA (published in 1986): bibliqp..,.., of works by Soviet tebolan OD Aayriology and
Sumerology between 1917-1984.
3. IKJaNASS (publitbed in 1986): bibliography of worb on Aftica cultures and langulaes publilbod
in the USSR in 1917-198.S. This is the most valuable of all bibliographies aauneratcd here. It ia not
just a bibliography, it contains al.lo some introduction to the history of Soviet A&icanistics.
4. A memorial volume issued by the the Leningrad Oriental Institute of the USSR Academy of
Sciences in 1987 on the occasion of the 30dt anniversary of the Oriental Institute in Leningrad(• St
Petersburg). Its 3rd part includes bibliographies of works by "*8l'Cbers fiom various dcpartmema of
the Institute (19,6-1986). e.g. on egyptology (Marabonova 1987), Alabic philology (Halidov 1917),
Semitic linguistics (Sifman 1987).
S. BSA (published in 1997): dria ia a pnera1 bibliography of all scieotefic litendUre on Aftica
published in the USSR between 1968-1982. Cp. esp. its lleCtion ·Linsuiatics· (BSA, pp. 324-336).
Some additional information can be found a1Jo in the recent bibliographies of Nolb'atic ltudiea
(Hclimakij 1986, 229-282 and 199-4 MS; Hcgcdlis 1992) because several Russian worb written about
the Nostratic hypothesis comain at the llll1C time valuable Afro-Asiatic matc:ria1 too.
Beside these bibliographical works, I could extract valuable information on the beginninaa of
Russian Semit.ology and Afro-Asiatic studies from the memoin of I. M. D'.jakonov (published in 199')
and also from his penooal communication (St. Petenbufl, autumn 199.S and autunm 1997).
•
PREDECESSORS OF D'JAKONOV: BEGINNINGS OF SEMITIC AND AFRO-.AsIA TIC LINGUISTICS
IN RUSSIA AND nm SoVJET lJNJoN
The more receal development of Afn>.Aliatic linguistics (D'jakonov and his ICbool etc.) in the
USSR and modem Russia can be bettet understood if l(JIDe light is shed also on its roots, hues before
the second half of 1he present century. Below I make an attempt at drawing a coocile IUl'Vey of the
beginning periods (precoding D'.jakonov: Jut decadea of the 19th cemury till the 1950s) of Semitic
(and Afro-Asiatic) linguistics in Russia and the USSR.