Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Cappadocianfšáx‘child’ and Pharasiotfšáxi‘boy’ are traditionally derived from Turkishuşak, assuming a hitherto unexplained fricativization of [u] to [f] and of word‐final [k] to [x] after the borrowing process. The latter cannot be attributed to Cappadocian or Pharasiot, however, as it is a common feature of Anatolian Turkish. In order to understand the former sound change, we have to assume an isolated case of high vowel fricativization in the articulated pluralta ušáxja>ta fšáxja→ sg.to fšáx(i)by metanalysis, comparable to the generally acknowledged case ofta otjá>ta utjá>ta ftjá→ sg.to ftí‘the ear’. We argue thatfšáx(i)is an archaism in light of the parallel use ofuşak→ušákreported in nineteenth‐century sources and the preservation of word‐final [x] even in dialects which seem to have borrowed words ending in [k] from Standard instead of Anatolian Turkish. The irregular inflection of Cappadocianfšáxsuggests that it was borrowed as an adjective from Old Anatolian Turkish before it was substantivized in Ottoman Turkish, perhaps even from Old Turkishuvşak‘little’:ta ufšáxa ta peðjá‘the little children’ >ta fšáxa‘the little ones’ by apheresis.
Authors: Mark Janse, Johan Vandewalle
Institution: Ghent University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2942897068