Jotvingių kalbos rekonstrukcijos klaisimai

Abstract

THE PROBLEM OF RECONSTRUCTING THE YATVINGIAN LANGUAGESummaryThe occurrence of the diphthong [ei] and of the consonants [s] and [z] is assumed as characteristic of the Yatvingian language. The same two features are also peculiar to Old Prussian. In the Lithuanian language we find [ie], [š], and [ž] as the respective counterparts.What we propose for the characterization of Yatvingian is to take into consideration the possibility of the depalatalization process which the following phenomena found in the Lithuanian dia­lect of Seinai (Polish Sejny) testify to: (1) the occurrence of the consonants [š, ž, r] without their palatal counterparts; (2) partial depalatalization of [s, z, l] only before front vowels; (3) partial depalatalization of labial consonants [p, b, m, v].The depalatalization of the consonants enumerated under (1), (2) and (3) is connected with the centralization and lowering of the following front vowels [i:], [i], [ie], [e:], [x], [x:].The phenomenon of depalatalization is also known today in some other Lithuanian dialects. Some spellings found in Old Prussian texts point to depalatalization having occurred in this langua­ge. In the Polish-Yatvingian vocabulary, discovered in 1983, there is also evidence of depalatali­zation of labial consonants.

Keywords

• jotvingių kalba