Jotvingių kalbos rekonstrukcijos klaisimai

• Main Author: Michał Hasiuk
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: Vilnius University 2011-12-01
• Series: Baltistica
• Subjects: jotvingių kalba
• Online Access: http://www.baltistica.lt/index.php/baltistica/article/view/883
• ISSN: 0132-6503; 2345-0045

<p><strong>THE PROBLEM OF RECONSTRUCTING THE YATVINGIAN LANGUAGE</strong></p><p><em>Summary</em></p><p>The occurrence of the diphthong [<em>ei</em>]<em> </em>and of the consonants [<em>s</em>]<em> </em>and [<em>z</em>] is assumed as characteristic of the Yatvingian language. The same two features are also peculiar to Old Prussian. In the Lithuanian language we find [<em>ie</em>]<em>, </em>[<em>š</em>]<em>, </em>and [<em>ž</em>]<em> </em>as the respective counterparts.</p><p>What we propose for the characterization of Yatvingian is to take into consideration the possibility of the depalatalization process which the following phenomena found in the Lithuanian dia­lect of <em>Seinai </em>(Polish <em>Sejny) </em>testify to: (1) the occurrence of the consonants [<em>š, ž, r</em>]<em> </em>without their palatal counterparts; (2) partial depalatalization of [<em>s, z, </em><em>l</em>]<em> </em>only before front vowels; (3) partial depalatalization of labial consonants [<em>p, b, m, v</em>]<em>.</em></p><p>The depalatalization of the consonants enumerated under (1), (2) and (3) is connected with the centralization and lowering of the following front vowels [<em>i</em>:], [<em>i</em>], [<em>ie</em>], [<em>e</em>:], [<em>x</em>]<em>, </em>[<em>x:</em>]<em>.</em></p><p>The phenomenon of depalatalization is also known today in some other Lithuanian dialects. Some spellings found in Old Prussian texts point to depalatalization having occurred in this langua­ge. In the Polish-Yatvingian vocabulary, discovered in 1983, there is also evidence of depalatali­zation of labial consonants.</p>