Reconstruction:Proto-Turkic/elig

This Proto-Turkic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Turkic

Etymology

Usually considered to be simplex, however some theories have been proposed:

1. Sevortyan compares the dialectal Turkish elmek (“hand”) and suggets a common root *el-
2. Tekin ties the word to *ẹĺ- (“to dig”), stating that the sigmatism didn't occur due to its medial position.
3. Nişanyan suggets a derivation *al- (“to take”) +‎ *-ïg, however note that the word is never attested as being back voweled through history.

The reason behind the disappearence of the final -i in some languages is uncertain but likely due to confusion with the third person singular possessive, compare *tātïg (“taste”), *bẹńi (“brain”) for similar cases.

Siberian descendants show a variant form with "open-e" (*ẹlig). Whether *ẹlig or *elig was the original form is unclear.

Noun

*elig

1. (anatomy) hand, forearm

Declension

Declension of *elig

	singular 3)
nominative	*elig
accusative	*eligig, *eligni1)
genitive	*eligniŋ
dative	*eligke
locative	*eligde
ablative	*eligden
allative	*eliggerü
instrumental 2)	*eligin
equative 2)	*eligče
similative 2)	*eligleyü
comitative 2)	*eligligü

¹⁾ Originally used only in pronominal declension.
²⁾ The original instrumental, equative, similative, and comitative cases have fallen into disuse in many modern Turkic languages.
³⁾ Plurality in Proto-Turkic is disputed. See also the notes on the Proto-Turkic/Locative-ablative case and plurality page on Wikibooks.

Derived terms

• ⇒? *ellig
• ⇒ *elig-e- (“to sift”)

Descendants

• Oghur: *eliɣ
  • Bulgar: الو (elü)
  • Middle Chuvash: *elĭ
    • Late Middle Chuvash: *alı̈̆
      • Chuvash: алӑ (ală)
• Proto-Common Turkic: *elig

• Arghu:
  • Khalaj: əl
• Oghuz: اَلِكْ (elig)
  • Old Anatolian Turkish: ال (el)
    • Ajem-Turkic:
      • Azerbaijani: əl
      • Qashqai: [script needed] (el)
    • Gagauz: el
    • Ottoman Turkish: ال (el)
      • Turkish: el
  • Salar: el
  • Turkmen: el
• Karluk:
  • Karakhanid: اَلِكْ (“elig”)
    • Chagatai: [Term?] (“élik”)
      • Uyghur: ilik (dial.)
      • Uzbek: ilik (arch.)
• Kipchak:
  • Kyrgyz-Kipchak:
    • Southern Altai: ӧлӱ (ölü, “finger”), элӱ (elü)
• Siberian Turkic: *ẹlig^?
  • Old Turkic: 𐰠𐰏 ((e)l(i)g /⁠l²g⁠/)
  • Old Uyghur: 𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 (élig /⁠ʾylyk⁠/)
    • Western Yugur: ələɣ (ïlïɣ, “hand, a unit of measure, chopsticks, method, craftsmanship”)
      • ⇒ Western Yugur: ələk (ïlïk, “hand, finger”)
  • North Siberian:
    • Yakut: илии (ilii)
    • Dolgan: илии
  • South Siberian:
    • Yenisei:
      • Shor: инге

References

• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “elig”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 140-141
• al-Kashgarî, Mahmud (1072–1074) Besim Atalay, transl., Divanü Lûgat-it-Türk Tercümesi [Translation of the “Compendium of the languages of the Turks”] (Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları; 521) (in Turkish), 1985 edition, Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurmu Basımevi, published 1939–1943
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “el”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Räsänen, Martti (1969) Versuch eines etymologischen Wörterbuchs der Türksprachen (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura, pages 39-40
• Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “el, -ig”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8)‎^[2], Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill