Article

Name: On the Differentiating Function of Stress in the Chalkan Language

Authors: N. N. Fedina

In the section Грамматика

Abstract: In the following article, we analyze the differentiating function of stress in the Chalkan language. By the means of stress, phonetically similar words and word forms are distinguished. Some researchers recognize this as a special function found in Turkic languages, while others don\t believe that stress in Turkic languages serves as a means of differentiation. In the Chalkan language, many analytical verbal constructions have been united into single word forms due to contraction, and in some cases, only root morphemes and personal markers remain distinct. These processes are particularly active in the indicative. Because of this, the Chalkan language contains a large number of homographs which can only be distin-guished by the means of stress. Ex.: 1) 3rd person plural present tense forms are partially similar to 3rd person singular subjective past tense forms with =tyr, for example: ular pа́r-t-tyr ‘they go’ ‒ ol par=týr ‘he went, as it turns out’. In the first example, the stress falls on the first syllable of the verb stem, whereas in the second example, it falls on the last syllable. 2) 1st person singular and plural present tense forms with =yp tat’ and past tense forms with =dy with voiceless consonants in the stem auslaut: men káp-t-ym ‘I’m catching’ ‒ men kap-tý-m ‘I was catching’; pys káp-t-ys / =yvys ‘we catch’ ‒ pys kap-t-ýs / =yvýs ‘we caught’. If the stress falls on the first syllable, then the verb is used in the present tense, and in the past tense, it falls on the last syllable. 3) 2nd person singular and plural present tense forms which no longer contain tense markers and imperative forms: sen káp=syn ‘you catch’ (2 Sg, present tense) ‒ ol kap=sýn \let him catch\ (3 Sg, Imp.); sler káp=sar ‒ ‘you catch’ (2 Pl, present tense) ‒ sler kap=sár ‘let you catch’(2 Pl, Imp.). In the first exam-ple, stress falls on the first syllable of a verb, meaning that it is a present tense form, whereas the second example has stress on the last syllable (the personal marker), meaning that it is an imperative form which is phonetically similar to the 2nd person marker. 4) Verbs with auslaut vowels in the stame in positive and negative forms of indefinite past tense with = gyn are homographs. For example: oshhý=v-a-n ‘he sat’ ‒ oshhy=vá-n ‘he did not sit’. In the first example, the stress falls on the auslaut vowel of the verb stem; in the second example, it falls on the negative affix =va. These word forms are derived from different initial forms: the positive one is derived from the analytical construction oshhy=(p>v) al=gan, while the negative one consists of a simple verb stem with the negative affix =va and personal marker.

Keywords: the Chalkan language, stress, differentiating function, verb

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