Reconstruction:Proto-Turkic/yabaĺč

This Proto-Turkic 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-Turkic

Reconstruction Notes

There is no consensus on the identity of the final sibilant sound for the Proto-Turkic stage. Reconstruction with the postulated palatalized alveolar coda ( *ĺ ) is unfounded, with no Oghur descendants to support it.

Alternative Reconstructions

*yabaĺ (per EDAL)
*yabaš (per Räsänen)

Etymology

Unknown. Probably a deverbal from the unattested verb *yaba- (“to calm down (?)”), further etymology cannot be satisfactorily established.

Räsänen, Vasmer^[1] and Nemeth^[2] suggest that the ethnonym for Chuvash people (čăwaš) is borrowed or inherited from *yabaš (“calm, peaceful”), via intermediaries. Proto-Mongolic *namukan is given as a cognate by Räsänen (cf. Mongolian намхан (namxan, “gentle, peaceful”))

Altaicists compare their reconstructed form *yabaĺ with Khalkha Mongolian зөөлөн (zöölön, “soft, weak”) (cf. Written Mongolian ᠵᠣ᠊᠊ᠢ᠊ᠭᠡ᠊ᠯ‍ᠠ‍᠊ᠨ (ʒögelen)) and Japanese 柔ら (yawara, “something soft, fragile, gentle”) (cf. Japanese 柔柔 (yawayawa, “soft, supple”), reduplication of *yawa). Despite semantic and phonological similarities, Altaic comparisons are severely criticized by mainstream historical linguistics.

Adjective

*yabaĺč

peaceful, quiet, calm, mild (Common Turkic)
Synonyms: *akuru(n), *amul (~ -ïl), *enč, *tölen
slow (Oghuz Turkic)
Synonym: *akuru(n)
soft (Karakhanid, Siberian Turkic)
Synonyms: *yïmĺčak, *gebešek

Descendants

→? Proto-Mongolic: *namukan (“peaceful, gentle”) (from the hypothetical *yaba-kan (“id.”))
- Mongolian: намхан (namxan, “peaceful, gentle”)
- →? Proto-Tungusic: *ńama (“warm”) (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Common Turkic: *yabaš

Oghuz:
- Old Anatolian Turkish:
  - Azerbaijani: yavaş
    - → Persian: یواش (yavâš)
      - → Khalaj: yəvâş
  - Ottoman Turkish: یواش (yavaş, “patient, mild, peaceable”)
    - Turkish: yavaş
    - Gagauz: yavaş
- East Oghuz:
  - Turkmen: ýuwaş
Karluk:
- Karakhanid: [script needed] (yawaš)
  - Chagatai: [script needed] (yawaš)
    - Uyghur: يۇۋاش (yuwash) (dialectal)
    - Uzbek: yuvosh
- ⇒ Karakhanid: [script needed] (yawa kiši, “a person who is timid, mild, tractable, and peaceable; docile (of animals)”)
- ⇒ Karakhanid: [script needed] (yawa yḗr, “warm, cozy place”)
Kipchak:
- Kipchak: iavas (yawa:š, “docile and obsequious (of animals)”)
- Kipchak-Bulgar:
  - Bashkir: йыуаш (yıwaş)
  - Middle Tatar: *ʒovaš ("peaceful, hospitable")
    - →? Chuvash: чӑваш (čăvaš, “Chuvash”)
      - → Eastern Mari: суас (suas, “Tatar”)
      - → Tatar: чуаш (çuwaş, “Chuvash”)
        Russian: чува́ша (čuváša, “unkempt man”) (dialectal)
    - Tatar: юаш (yuaş), юваш (yuwaş)
- Kipchak-Cuman:
  - Crimean Tatar:
  - Krymchak: йуваш
  - Karachay-Balkar: джууаш (cuuaş)
  - Kumyk: яваш (yawaş), юваш (yuwaş)
  - Karaim: йуваш
  - Urum: йываш
- South Kipchak:
  - Kipchak-Nogai:
    - Kazakh: жуас (juas)
    - Nogai: ювас (yuvas)
- Kyrgyz-Kipchak:
  - Kyrgyz: жоош (jooş)
  - Southern Altai: јобош (ǰoboš)
Siberian Turkic:
- North Siberian Turkic:
  - Earlier Yakut: *samā- ("calm, pleasant, easy-going")
    - ⇒? Yakut: самаан (samaan, “favourable summer, warm weather”)
- South Siberian Turkic:
  - Old Uyghur: 𐽶𐽰𐽼𐽰𐽻 (yabaš)
  - ⇒? Old Uyghur: 𐽶𐽰𐽼 𐽶𐽰𐽼 (yap-yap, “timidly”)
  - Khakas: чабас (çabas)
  - Northern Altai: дьобоош (dʹobooš), чобош (čoboš)
  - Shor: чобаш (čobaš)
  - Tuvan: чааш (çaaş)
  - Tofa: чааш (čāš)

References

^ Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “чуваш”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress, pages 4, 376
^ Nemeth, Gyula. 1976. K voprosu ob avarah. Turcologica pages 298-304

Clauson, Gerard (1972) “yavaş (yava:ş)”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 880
Räsänen, Martti (1969) “jabaš, yawaš”, in Versuch eines etymologischen Wörterbuchs der Türksprachen (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura, page 175
Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*jabaĺ”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8), Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill

[1] Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “чуваш”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress, pages 4, 376

[2] Nemeth, Gyula. 1976. K voprosu ob avarah. Turcologica pages 298-304

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