Reconstruction:Proto-Yeniseian/qowčja

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

• *ɢujči (per Vajda 2022)
• *ɢowčja (per Vajda 2024)

Etymology

Tentatively compared to Proto-Na-Dene *ɢuǰ (“wolf”); Eyak ɢuˑǰih/ɢóˑtsih (“wolf”) and Tlingit g̱ooch (ɢùːǰ, “wolf”), though there is a possibility that Tlingit word may trace back to Eyak, and thus would not be a valuable comparison. Vajda (2022) also notes a lack of Dene cognates, which leads to problems in sound correspondences.

Noun

*qowčja

1. wolf

Descendants

• Northern Yeniseian:
  • Ket: ӄыт (qɨ̄ˑt), ӄыти (qɨ̄ˑti)
  • Yug: хыт (xɨ̄t)
• Southern Yeniseian:
  • Arin: kot, kūt
  • Pumpokol: xótu

References

• Fortescue, M., Vajda, E. (2022) “*ɢujči”, 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, page 373
• Vajda, E. (2024) “*qowč-ja/*qowč-ja-n”, 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 422