Reconstruction:Proto-Yeniseian/begja

This Proto-Yeniseian 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-Yeniseian

Alternative reconstructions

• *bowgʷ (per Vajda 2022)

Etymology

Compared to Proto-Na-Dene *ʔwiˑgʷ/*weˑǰʳ/*weˑgʷ (“to cook, to boil”) and Tlingit ʔu`g (“to boil”), which would reflect a hypothetical Proto-Dene-Yeniseian *bowgʷ.

Reflected as a noun in Yeniseian but as a verb in Na-Dene languages. This change is also observed with Proto-Yeniseian *(u)qan (“cook, boil; fire”) (both a verb and a noun), which is compared to Proto-Na-Dene *qˀaˑn (“to burn”) (only a verb.)

Noun

*begja

1. fire

Descendants

• Northern Yeniseian:
  • Ket: боʼк
  • Yug: боʼк
• Southern Yeniseian:
  • Kott: piga
  • Pumpokol: buč

References

• Fortescue, M., Vajda, E. (2022) “118.) ~*bowgʷ”, in Mid-Holocene Language Connections between Asia and North America (Brill's Studies in the Indigenous Languages of the Americas; 17)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 383-384
• Vajda, E. (2024) “*beg-ja”, in The Languages and Linguistics of Northern Asia: Language Families (The World of Linguistics [WOL]; 10.1)‎^[2], volume 1, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, →DOI, →ISBN, page 412