ABOUT SOME ASPECTS OF ANCIENT RELATIONSHIPS OF TATI AND KUMYK LANGUAGES

Introduction. A retrospective analysis of the history of the relationship between the Tat and Kumyk languages has not yet been the subject of special consideration. Its chronological and areal limits are from the oldest contacts in the North Asian region at the level of the pre-languages to the early medieval era of the existence of the Khazar Khaganate in the East Caucasus. The aim is to provide the necessary historical and linguistic material at the disposal of Tati language researchers, which reflects the retrospective stages of its relationship with the Kumyk language, correlating with the main tasks of this study. Objectives include: 1) the oldest stage of the pre-language relations of these languages, associated with the effect of the Proto-Turkic substrate on Prairan; 2) ancient (III–II thousand BC) – contacts of the northern and southern Western Iranian languages, including Tati, which led to the development of the second (ancient) type of Turkic rotacism in them; 3) connections of the early medieval (Khazar Khaganate) era, the legacy of which are the Hebraisms of the Kumyk language. Material and methods. The material is reviewed at the level of various synchronous slices. At the same time, the methods of the comparative historical method, as well as linguistic geography and areal geography, are used. Results and discussion. The presence in Prairan vocalism of the Prototurk substrate umlaut (reverse harmony of vowels) turns out to be due to the contacts of the corresponding proto-languages in the front Asian zone. Later (III–II thousand BC) their manifestations include rotacism in the northern and southern Western Iranian languages, including Tati. Even later is the general Turkic progressive harmony of vowels, known to both Tat dialects. By the early Middle Ages, the appearance of a noticeable number of Hebraisms of the Khazar era in the Kumyk language refers. Conclusion. The oldest level of relations between the Tat and Kumyk languages includes the presence in the Prairan vocalism of the Proto-Turkic substrate umlaut, the development of which turns out to be due to the contacts of the corresponding forelanguages in the front Asian zone. Later (III–II thousand BC) in the northern and southern Western Iranian languages, including Tat, the ancient Turkic (Bulgarian) rotacism develops. Even later, due to bilingualism, the general Turkic progressive harmony of vowels is divided with the local Turkic languages in the Tati language. In the early Middle Ages, a noticeable number of Hebraisms – borrowings from the Hebrew language – penetrated the vocabulary of the Kumyk language.

Mountain Jews, Tati dialects, substrate, Iranian, Kumyk, Azerbaijan, gebraizm, Khazar Khanate