Dialect features of the Torgut Kalmyk language (based on the material of N.M. Mandzhiev's prose and field recordings)

Lidzhieva Lyudmila Alekseevna ORCID: 0000-0003-4262-5458 PhD in Philology Associate Professor; Institute of Kalmyk Philology and Oriental Studies; B.B. Gorodovikov Kalmyk State University 358003, Russia, Republic of Kalmykia, Elista, Nikolay Mitirovich Ochirov str., 19 lidzhieva-la@mail.ru Golubeva Evgeniya Vladimirovna ORCID: 0000-0003-3279-0361 PhD in Philology Associate Professor; Faculty of Pre-University Studies; B.B. Gorodovikov Kalmyk State University 350011, Russia, Republic of Kalmykia, Elista, 5, 2B, sq. 10 lisa101@yandex.ru Mandeev Naran Yurievich ORCID: 0000-0003-3276-6126 student; Institute of Kalmyk Philology and Oriental Studies; Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 358003, Russia, Republic of Kalmykia, Elista, Nikolay Mitirovich Ochirov str., 19 mandeev.naran@mail.ru

Lidzhieva Dzhirgal Mingiyanovna ORCID: 0000-0002-7571-9998 student; Institute of Kalmyk Philology and Oriental Studies; Kalmyk State University named after B.B. Gorodovikov 358000, Russia, Republic of Kalmykia, Elista, Lermontov str., 103, sq. 1 lidzhieva-dz14@mail.ru

The relevance of the study of the dialect features of the Mongolian languages is determined by the need to study them. The problem of distinguishing and preserving dialects is currently one of the important and complex issues of Mongolian linguistics. The dialectal features of the Mongolian languages are of considerable interest to researchers from the point of view of genetic and territorial connections. The Mongolian languages and their dialects and dialects, which are part of the Altai family of languages, reflect the historical development and cultural relationships between ethnic groups.

In the Mongolian languages, in the conditions of mutual influence of neighboring language systems, the processes of assimilation and dilution of dialects are constantly taking place, there is a real threat of loss of dialects and unique linguistic information forming features and linguistic diversity, loss of natural sources for replenishment, enrichment and development of modern literary Mongolian languages.

Dialect and literary languages exist in parallel and represent a complex system. Each language has its own unique features in phonetics, vocabulary and grammar. "According to the ratio of these characteristic features, any territorial variant of the language can be contrasted with other dialects and a literary language" ^{[1, p. 23]}.

The Kalmyk language belongs to the western group of Mongolian languages and includes local dialects and dialects. The dialect system of the Kalmyk language consists of three main dialects: Torgut, Derbet and Buzava, some of them also include dialects. According to the proximity of all the features, scientists attribute the Khoshud dialect to the Torgut dialect. Currently, the separation of the Torgut and Derbet dialects is clearly preserved. Within the dialects, certain sub-phrases are distinguished, the detailed differentiation and description of the signs of which are particularly difficult. B.D. Tsyrenov notes that the analysis of the Kalmyk-Russian Dictionary showed that more than four dozen dialectical words were selected from the entire corpus of the dictionary, "which is less than one percent." In his opinion, "the literary norm of the Kalmyk language did not imply a wide inclusion of dialectisms in their dictionaries", in comparison with the Buryat language ^{[2, p. 126]}.

Due to the fact that the Kalmyk language and its dialects, dialects have limited use, and native speaker proficiency is very low, one of the most important tasks of modern linguistics is the fixation, description and analysis of phenomena occurring in endangered languages.

The purpose of the study is to identify dialect features based on the material of N.M. Mandzhiev's works of art and field recordings.

The subject of the study is the phonetic, grammatical and lexical features of the Torgut dialect, analyzed on the basis of prose and field recordings.

The object of the study is the Torgut dialect of the Kalmyk language, characterized by its proximity to the historical basis and containing many archaic features that allow a deeper understanding of the processes of linguistic change and evolution within the Kalmyk language as a whole.

The scientific novelty of the study is due to the fact that the dialectological material presented in the works of N.M. Mandzhiev and field recordings has not yet been practically studied.

The material for the study was lexical units selected from the works of N.M. Mandzhiev ^[3] and field recordings collected during expeditions organized as part of the implementation of the scientific research project of the Russian National Research Foundation "Electronic Dialectological Atlas of the Mongolian Languages of Russia: basic vocabulary", as well as previously conducted research by scientists on this issue.

N.M. Mandzhiev's Collection of Short Stories preserved linguistic features characteristic of the Torgut dialect, since the writer is a representative of Khoton Tsekert, Ulankholsky ulus (now Chernozemelsky district of the Republic of Kalmykia), where ethnic Torguts live. Field records are material collected from the Summary lists, which include a list of basic tokens provided with contexts.

The study of dialect features of the Kalmyk language began at the beginning of the last century and continues to this day. The study of dialects and dialects of the Kalmyk language was started by Nomto Ochirov, who was sent to Astrakhan province in 1909 to collect material and linguistic observation. He visited Torguts and Derbets and published reports on the results of the trip. It was he who identified the differences, checked and clarified the main differences between the Torgut and Derbet dialects, pointing out their phonetic, morphological and lexical features. He noted the vigor, emphatic longitude, and amplification in individual syllables of the Torgut dialect ^[4].

The first research in the field of dialectology was carried out by Russian and foreign scientists. This was usually a collection of material during travels through the Kalmyk nomads. As a result, several dictionaries and scientific research in the field of dialectology have been published by such scientists as B.Ya. Vladimirtsov ^[5], G.D. Ramstedt ^[6], A.D. Rudnev ^[7], V.L. Kotvich ^[8] and others.

Of interest are the studies of scientists who studied specific dialects and dialects of the Kalmyk language: D.A. Pavlova ^{[9, 10]}, A.S. Kichikova ^[11], E.C. Bardaev ^[12], N.N. Ubushaeva ^{[13, 14]}, E.R. Tenisheva ^[15]. These studies are unique, since the study of dialects was based on expedition material collected in the 1960s-1980s of the XX century, when native speakers actively used it in everyday life. Scientists have managed to record a significant variety of dialects and dialects that are gradually disappearing in modern conditions and reflect their phonetic, grammatical and lexical features.

The works of famous Mongolian scholars G.D. Sanzheev ^{[16, 17]}, V.I. Rassadin ^[18], B.H. Todaeva ^[19-24], Ts.D. Nominkhanov ^[25], I.D. Buraev ^[26], Ts.B. Budaev ^[27], L.D. Shagdarov ^[28], D.G. Damdinova ^[29], Ts. Onorbayan ^[30], B.D. Tsyrenova ^[2], N.Ch. Ochirovoy ^[31], which also examines the issues of dialects and dialects of the Mongolian, Buryat, Kalmyk languages, reflect the diversity and richness of the linguistic heritage of the Mongolian peoples. The research of these scientists covers a wide range of issues related to the phonetic, morphological and syntactic features of languages and dialects, as well as their historical development and current state.

In recent years, specialists of Mongolian and Turkic languages have been actively researching dialectology issues within the framework of projects related to the creation of dialectological atlases of Turkic and Mongolian languages ^[32].

Thus, the works of scientists not only record the peculiarities of dialects, but also emphasize the importance of their diversity as a carrier of the cultural identity of the Mongolian peoples.

According to N.N. Ubushaev, "the Torgut dialect is characterized by somewhat greater conservatism and proximity to the historical basis than other dialects of the Kalmyk language" ^{[14, p. 22]}. The dialectological material made it possible to identify separate groups reflecting the phonetic, grammatical and lexical features of the Torgut dialect.

1) When analyzing the phonetic features of dialect words, the features associated with the special pronunciation of the word in the dialect are highlighted.

a) The use of the vowel [i] in the first syllable instead of the Derbetic or literary [y]. Cf. bargaining. bichr — lit., derb. bichr ‘twig', torg. bishkur — lit., derb. ‘whistle', bargain. bishmud ‘dress, beshmet’ — lit., derby. bashmud. For example: Manҗin umsҗ baasn halasta har bishmud, kirtan dargdad baasn bor bolsn cahan sarpun kiilg khoir hog bolad shuurch ^{[3, p. 15]} ‘The black beshmet Manji, all patched up, and the white canvas shirt, which turned gray from dirt, completely tore’.

b) The use of the vowel [u] in the first syllable instead of the literary [u]. Cf. torg. nulmsn — lit. nulmsn ‘tears', bargaining. uuthn — lit. uuthn is ‘poor'. For example: ... Manҗin kuүkd kun ndndan dohln nulmsta suuv ^{[3, p. 15]} ‘Manji's wife was sitting all in tears.’

c) The preservation of narrowness and the rise of the vowels [u] and [u]. A.Sh. Kichikov, when describing the Derbet dialect, gives the main differential signs of the two leading dialects — Derbet and Torgut: ... the Derbet dialect is [o-, o-] dialect, Torgut is [u-, u-] dialect ^{[11, p. 4]}. This phenomenon is observed before the sounds [b] and [m]. Cf. trade., lit. uvl — derby. ovl ‘winter', bargain., lit. hurvn — derb. horvn ‘three'; bargain. khumha — derb. khomha ‘dry'. For example: ... HC KVN of ausn azran Surat Jawad, hni mn bidni Arad tortured, RWD Iovv Vasile position ^{[3, p. 17]} ‘... the shepherd, without stopping, went to the sheep, he reassured them and, slowly, went on’.

d) The use of a long vowel [a:] instead of [a:]. In this case, the historical diphthong -ai developed in the Torgut dialect for a long time:]. At the same time, the consonant following it is palatalized. Cf. torg. maalh — lit., derb. maalh ‘bleat’, torg. zaalh — lit., derb. zaalh ‘rinse'. For example: Taslad usnd orulҗasn khod maalldad, shuugad baan ^{[3, p. 17]} ‘Sheep bleated noisily at the watering hole’.

This feature is noted in the Buzava dialect, associating it with the longitude combination -ayi in the old-written Mongolian language ^{[33, p. 199]}; ^{[14, p. 15]}. In this regard, the question remains open whether this feature is really characteristic of the Torgut dialect or whether it is an edit by the editor.

e) The use of the form of the desirable mood in place of the literary or Derbetic one. For example: Kur Tavҗ idy, — Giҗ Җөolә х х х х х х к к к к kōchin kōvun kelv ^{[3, p. 19]} ‘Let's cook kur [meat in its own juice], — said the shepherd of Djeli.'

f) The influence of the historical vowel [i] gives a solid-order version of vowels in words like stp.-mong. dakiad — torg. dakad — derb. — dak.dak ‘again, more'; stp.-mong. takia — torg. taka — derb. taka ‘chicken'. For example: Tolha deer harhla turulad khurlin ardk khotn, dakad khotna omnk khulsn-zegsn uzgdh, dakad khurl uzgdh ^{[3, p. 30]} ‘Having climbed the mound, you can immediately see the khoton located behind the khurul, you can also see the reeds in front of the khoton, followed by the khurul himself.

g) There is the use of [a] in the position before palatalized consonants [l’, n’, d’, t’]. The historical vowel [i] palatalized the whole word in the Torgut dialect. Wed. stp.-mong. aliman — bargaining. alm — lit., derby. almn ‘apple', stp.-mong. salkin — bargain. salkn — lit., derby. salkn ‘wind'. For example: — Ald uldhv? – Gih surkhasn ahad, ald uldhan Zurhan sursn uga ^{[3, p. 18]} ‘Where will we stay? "Zurgan was afraid and never asked where they would stay."

h) In the analyzed texts, there are lexemes where the consonant [c] or [h] is replaced by [c]. It can be used both in Kalmyk words and in borrowings. Cf. trade. cic — lit. siitz ‘calico'; bargain. tsokchlh — choklh ‘to sit on one knee, bending the other'. For example: Ond modn orna deer ulan tsoohr tsiitsar ke orksn koshg dotras emch harad irna ‘A doctor came out from behind a red mottled chintz curtain that hung over a high wooden bed’ ^{[3, p. 31]}.

2) The grammatical features of the Torgut dialect, revealed in the works of N.M. Mandzhiev, are mainly related to the system of inflection. It is known that the case system of the Kalmyk language includes nine cases: nominative, genitive, dative-local, accusative, instrumental, connective, joint, initial and directional. In the dialects and dialects of the Kalmyk language, there are differences in the use of some case endings and possessive particles.

a) The genitive case in the literary Kalmyk language has several endings, depending on the type of declension of the word itself: -a / -a; -in / -yn, -N. In the works of N.M. Mandzhiev, there is the use of the affix of the genitive case -an / -an, which is attached to words ending in a consonant a phoneme and an obscure vowel phoneme, except for an unstable consonant phoneme -n. For example: ... Mu-Tsahana khotn khor shahu ork baedg kevtan, ork deevrn salknd shavshn, zarmsn orun udan [lit. udin] tsa changsn utan harsn baen ^{[3, p. 17]} ‘... More than twenty families lived in the hoton of Mu-Tsagan, it was visible how felt bags swayed in the wind, how the hearths on which the afternoon tea was brewed smoked.’

b) The directional case in the literary language has the endings –ur / -ur. This case was formed not so long ago, it originated from the postposition uru ‘downstream, downhill’ and is characteristic only of the Kalmyk language. In other Mongolian languages, the postposition uruu is still widely used. In the Torgut dialect, the meaning of the directional case is conveyed by the affix -ad /-ad. A.Sh. Kichikov suggests that "this affix could occur by attaching the affix of the dative-local case -d to the ancient indicator of the local case -a /-e" [11 p. 40]. In the material under consideration, this case in this form was more common. Currently, native speakers of this dialect are approaching the literary language. For example: Koshur olҗ avsn manҗ geradan irad, tergan yasan awad, tsaran zuhad sela orad harad yovna... ^{[3, p. 14]}. ‘Manji found an axle for a cart, came home, set up a cart, harnessed an ox and went to a neighboring village’; Kur tavh dung nuk maltҗ orkad, kov khoyr uzgad harad, kok bor arhs tuү awad, kur tavh nukndan tavad tulna ^{[3, p. 19]} ‘The young men dug a hole for cura [meat in in their own juice], they collected dry dung in two places, threw it into a hole and lit it.’

3) The lexical features of the Torgut dialect in comparison with the Derbet, Buzava dialects, as well as the literary language, are mainly related to the difference in the meanings of individual lexemes. The factual material shows that quite often different lexemes can be used to denote the same concept.

Vocabulary is a flexible, mobile and historically changeable area of language, which reflects all the changes taking place in the life of society. Lexical differences between dialects and a literary language may be associated with the absence of certain words in individual dialects, narrowing, shifting the meanings of some lexemes of the literary language. The vocabulary of the Torgut dialect thematically reflects terms denoting kinship, material and spiritual culture, animal and plant life, etc.

Nevertheless, despite these lexical discrepancies, it cannot be argued that they lead to a misunderstanding of speech between speakers of different dialects of the Kalmyk language, as is the case in Buryat dialects due to their geographical distribution.

So, in the material under consideration, there are various dialectisms that reflect the peculiarities of the Torgut dialect and are divided into several groups:

a) Words that are used in a literary language or other dialects in one meaning, in Torgut – may have a different meaning. Cf. bargaining. aak ‘father, uncle' — derb., lit. aak ‘mother, aunt', bargaining. baav ‘mother, aunt' — derb., lit. baav ‘father, uncle'. For example: — Shuluhar aakin baavig duudtn – giҗ gergan kelsig sonsad, ik har hosig khondgar umsҗ orkad, shud harad Yovҗ efv ^{[3, p. 41]} ‘— Quickly call your aunt [uncle's wife], – hearing what his wife said, putting on boots on his bare foot, he ran out of the house.’

b) The same meaning of some words can be conveyed by different lexemes. Cf. trade. zuunglh — lit. bongrh ‘to swirl, to rise high (about smoke)’; bargain. salm — derb. dog‘resin’, bargain. gedrgan — derb. haru ‘back, back'. For example: Kok bor arhsna giign cahan utan zuunglad harad baen ^{[3, p. 19]} ‘A white light smoke formed from dry dung rose up’; — Uulh uchr baen, inah chign uchr baen, – giҗ, salm bolsn nigt har sahlan dahsn har chirat, teglg nurhta, ovg kun Nand Kellҗ ogv ^{[3, p. 71]} ‘There is a reason to cry and laugh," an elderly man of medium height with a thick beard as black as pitch told me.

Thus, the analysis of the dialectisms of field materials and the works of N.M. Mandzhiev showed that special differences are demonstrated in phonetic features. They are associated with such phenomena as the replacement of vowels in words, the preservation of the narrowness of the vowels [u] and [u], the influence of the historical vowel [i] on the number of words, etc. Grammatical features of the Torgut dialect are more closely related to the case system, where the use of other affixes other than the literary Kalmyk language is observed. The lexical peculiarity of dialect words lies in the realization of different meanings of individual lexemes or the use of different words with the same semantics in different dialects. It is important to note that the preservation of dialect differences of the Kalmyk language helps to preserve its unique features and traditions, which emphasize the richness and diversity of the linguistic culture. Unfortunately, in recent years, due to the decline in the functional activity of the Kalmyk language, dialect features of dialects are observed mainly among representatives of the older generation.