European International Journal of Philological Sciences
72
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
87-90
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
28 March 2025
ACCEPTED
24 April 2025
PUBLISHED
30 May 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 05 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
The Development of
Word-Forming Affixes in
The Altaic Languages
Shoira USMANOVA
Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor at Tashkent State University of
Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: This article analyzes word-forming affixes in
the Altaic languages. It compares noun-forming suffixes
in Turkic languages with those found in Mongolic,
Tungusic-Manchu, and Korean, tracing their origins. The
study also reconstructs the proto-Altaic roots of these
affixes.
Keywords:
Altaic languages, household lexicon, noun,
affix, suffix.
Introduction:
Supporters of the Altaic language theory
mainly base their arguments on the typological
similarities in the structure of Altaic languages, as well
as on the similarity of numerous elements in grammar
and vocabulary. They identify the following features as
key typological similarities among these languages:
1.
In Phonology:
a) Vowel harmony;
b) General rules of consonant assimilation;
c) Stability of voiced consonants in the word root;
d) Words typically beginning with a single consonant
(although modern Korean allows initial consonant
clusters
–
Sh.U.);
e) Existence of differential lexical-meaning based
harmonic parallelisms;
f) Primary stress in word combinations falling on the
modifier.
2.
In Morphology:
a) Dominance of agglutinative affixation for word
formation and inflection;
b) Use of postpositions instead of prepositions;
c) Absence of articles;
d) Absence of grammatical gender;
e) Presence of possessive constructions;
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European International Journal of Philological Sciences
f) Use of ablative-case constructions to form
comparatives;
g) Use of genitive constructions in place of verbs like
“to have”;
h) Inflection via possessive suffixes;
i) Same affixes used for both singular and plural nouns;
j) Abundance of verbal affixes;
k) Presence of agglutinative interrogative particles;
l) Use of singular forms to express plural concepts;
m) Genetic relation between personal and
demonstrative pronouns;
n) Diversity of functions for the nominative case.
3.
In Syntax:
a) Modifiers and complements precede the elements
they modify in phrases and sentences;
b) Formation of questions via interrogative particles;
c) Use of infinitive, participial, and adverbial
constructions instead of subordinate clauses;
d) Logical separation of the object formed in the
accusative case;
e) Use of material-denoting nouns as modifiers
without morphological markers;
f) Invariant use of numerals and adjectives in
attributive position [1: 30
–
31].
Among the methods of word formation in Altaic
languages, the morphological method (affixation) is
the most productive. In this method, suffixes forming
nouns from nouns and verbs are actively employed.
Below, we analyze suffixes that derive nouns from
other nouns.
The suffix -turuk / -duruk in Turkic // -durga in
Mongolic // -turga in Tungusic-Manchu // -tori in
Korean
In the domestic lexicon of Turkic languages, the suffix -
turuk / -duruk (also -türük / -dürük, -tirik / -dirik, -tïrïk
/ -dïrïk, -derek) is one of the most widespread word-
forming affixes. This suffix often attaches to somatic
roots and produces the following semantic groups:
1.
Names of clothing and accessories: bojunturuq
// mojunturuk “collar, scarf” < bojun // mojun “neck”;
saqalturuq “strap tied under the chin to prevent a hat
from falling off” < saqal “beard”; eğindirik “cape” <
eğin
“shoulder”; gözündürük “face cover” < ko‘z “eye”;
közildirik “glasses” < ko‘z “eye”; tabandïrïk “women's
wooden footwear used in rain” < taban “heel of the
foot”.
2.
Names of horse gear and its parts: ömüldürük
“chest strap of the saddle” < öm “collarbone”;
kömüldürük “padding placed under the saddle” < köm
“felt”; burunduruk “noseband for a biting horse” <
burun “nose”; kekildirik “forehead strap of the bridle” <
kekil “forelock”; töbeldirik “forehead strap of the bridle”
< töbe “top of the head”; közüldürük “blinder to cover
frightened horse’s eyes” < ko‘z “eye”; tüšelderek “chest
pad” < tüš “chest”.
3.
Names of household items: kašïldïrïk “rack for
hanging spoons on the wall” < kašïk “spoon”;
täbälderek “loom pedal” < täb
-
“to step, to tread”.
The suffix -lik / -liq / -lig / -
liġ in Turkic languages //
-ruk
in Tungusic-Manchu languages
The Turkic suffix -lik // -liq // -lig // -
liġ is one of the most
productive and polysemous word-forming affixes.
Various linguistic studies have explored its structure and
use [5: 79]. This suffix actively forms names of clothing
items by attaching to somatic roots: arxalïg, arkalïk “a
type of upper garment” < arka “back”; bašlïk “headgear”
< baš “head”; tepelik “decorative head covering” < tepe
“top of the head”; eliklik “glove” < elik “hand”.
When added to words denoting liquids or substances, it
forms clothing terms: jāglïk “scarf, handkerchief” < jāg
“fat”; jamurluk “raincoat” < jamur “rain”. It is also used
to denote containers: tuzliq “salt container” < tuz “salt”;
In Turkish: çaydanlık “teapot” < çay “tea” (from Chinese)
+ -dan (container suffix from Persian-Tajik) + -
lık.
G.I. Ramstedt compared the Turkic suffix -lik // -liq // -
lig // -
liġ to the Tungusic
-Manchu -
ruk: turukaruk “salt
container” < turuka “salt” (cf. tuzliq); seleruk “box or bag
for storing old iron tools” < sele “iron”; kalaruk “bag for
cauldron” < kala “cauldron” [6: 203].
The -lak // -lek suffix in Turkic is considered a phonetic
variant of -lik // -liq // -lig // -
liġ. This variant is also
produc
tive in forming clothing terms: kōŋlak “shirt” <
kōŋ “sheepskin”; kəpeləx “fabric for shirts” < kəpe
“coarse wool fabric”.
Another phonetic variant is -nak // -nek // -nik // -nïk,
found especially in names of clothing and ornaments:
kasnak “crown worn under women’s scarves” < kas
“circle”; kebenek “felt coat for shepherds” < kebe “felt,
coarse fabric” < kebe “sheep’s wool” < kebe “sheep”; In
Gagauz: e:linnik “bride's dress” < e:lin “bride”.
The suffix -(V)k / -(V)q / -(V)g in Turkic languages // -(V)g
/ -
(V)ġ /
-ga (-qa) in Mongolic // -k, -ki in Tungusic-
Manchu // -ki in Korean
This affix derives nouns from nouns, adjectives, and
onomatopoeic roots. It appears in names of household
items: kōŋek “leather container” < kōŋ “leather” <
“sheepskin” < “sheep”.
It actively forms names of garments and their parts:
baĺak “trouser leg” < baĺ “foot, ankle”; jeläk “short jacket
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European International Journal of Philological Sciences
or vest” < jel “shoulder”; sarïk “traditional leather
footwear” < sarï “leather”; sačak “tassel” or “scarf with
tassels” < sač “hair”.
In Turkic, the suffixes -(V)k / -(V)q / -(V)g are paralleled
by the archaic Tungusic-Manchu nominalizing suffix -
(V)k: helïk “metal case or pouch” < hel “metal, iron”;
hiltek // hiltïk “flint pouch or tinderbag” < hilte “flint”.
The modern Tungusic-Manchu -ki suffix, though less
productive, is considered homologous with the Korean
-ki suffix. For instance: Tungusic-Manchu: eneki
“sheath, case” < ene; udeki “wooden board for leather
cutting” < ude; unekï “women’s belt” < une.
Korean: bosiki “ceramic jar for kimchi
and similar
pickles” < bos < bot “mud”; koneki “long, wide
-
mouthed ceramic pot made of baked clay” < kone //
kune “pit, hole”.
The affixes mentioned above not only serve to form
the names of objects in the Altaic languages, but also
convey the meaning of smallness. For example, in
Turkic languages: jüzük < jü
ŕük “ring” < jüŕ
“joint”; in
Mongolic: uġuraġ “egg yolk” < uġur; domaġ “legend” <
dom “magic, sorcery” (see: KW 91; Choi 103); in
Korean: photäki “baby blanket” < photä “cover”;
čabägi “scrap, lump” <
čabä.
In Turkic languages, the affix -ga/-
ġa/
-ka/-ke, in
Tungusic-Manchu languages -ka/-ke/-
ġa/
-ge, and in
Korean -kä function as diminutive suffixes. They are
used within nouns to denote the sense of smallness.
For instance, in Turkic languages: sïrïčġa “glass, crystal,
bead” < sïr “secret” +
-
(ï)č +
-
ġa; qovġa “bucket” < qov
< kob < kǒbú
“hollow, hole” +
-
ġa; kemeke “stove” <
keme // kome // küme “pit, hollow” +
-ke. The affix -
ka/-ke in Turkic languages corresponds to similar forms
in Tungusic-Manchu and Korean languages: in
Tungusic-
Manchu tedeke “mat” < tede “mat leather”;
kebeke “women’s bag” < kebe; in Korean otukä
“mulberry fruit” < oti “mulberry”.
In Turkic languages: -ken/-qan; in Mongolic: -ken/-xan;
and in Tungusic-Manchu: -
kān/
-ken/-xan
The affix -ken/-qan is rarely used within Turkic nouns:
čepken “outerwear” < čep; qasqan “surrounding,
collar” < qas. In contrast, it is a highly productive and
polysemantic affix in Mongolic and Tungusic-Manchu.
For example, in Mongolic: süiken “earring” < süi;
ulxan
“bowl” < ul; in Tungusic
-
Manchu: se^xan “earring
hook” < se^(n) “ear”; komtaxan “lid, box” < komta;
kurken “container for berries” < kur. In Mongolic, the
-
xan suffix actively forms diminutive or affectionate
nouns: cahaxan “snowflake” < cahan “snow”; when
added to numerals, it conveys limitation: nigexen “only
one”, xojarxan “just two”; it also denotes feminine
gender: nojon “prince” → nojonxon “princess”, xū
“boy” → xūxen “girl” [7: 46]. In this context, the Uzbek
suffix -
xon, used in women’s names
with affectionate or
teasing connotations, corresponds to it: Lolaxon,
Raʻnoxon.
In Turkic languages: -
ča; in Mongolic:
-
čai as diminutive
suffixes The -
ča suffix is one of the productive word
-
forming affixes in Turkic languages. Its historical
development has been discussed in numerous works
related to Altaic and Turkic studies [6: 192]. The -
ča
suffix, used in names of household items, indicates a
diminutive meaning: k
ọrpača < körpe; tugunča < tugun;
in Uzbek dialects: qomča “small mattress, pad” < qom
“camel’s saddle”. It also signifies smaller types of
clothing: k
ọjlakča, tonča, jeŋča. In the names of
ornaments, it denotes smallness: sïrča “glass, crystal,
bead” < sïr. In Chuvash, Tatar, Bashkir, and Nogai
languages, a phonetic variant -sa//-se of the -
ča suffix is
observed: in Chuvash alsa “sleeve” < al “hand”; məjsa
“ornament” < məj “neck”; in Tatar mujənsa “bead” <
mujən “neck”; tamaksa “bead” < tamak “throat”. G.I.
Ramstedt compared the Turkic -
ča suffix with the
Mongolic -
čai suffix: qaragačai “swallow (bird)” < qaraga
[6: 138].
In Turkic languages:
–čak/–čaq,
-
čïk/
-
čïq/
-
čuk; in
Mongolic:
–čag/–čaġ,
-
čik; in Korean:
-
ččak < –čak as
diminutive suffixes
These suffixes are used to convey endearment or
smallness. In Turkic languages: qapïrčaq “box, coffin,
basket” < qabïr // qawuz “tree bark”; qapčïq “pouch,
small bag” < qap “bag”; boččuk “small jar” < boč < boĵ <
bod < bot “clay”; qazančuk “small pot” < qazan “pot”; in
Mongolic: qaγurčaġ, qajirčaġ “small box” < qaγur // qajir
“box”; in Korean: koeččak “box” < koe.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the household vocabulary of the Altaic
languages can be morphologically divided into basic and
derived words. Basic words in Altaic languages are
generally composed of one or two syllables. Closed
syllables are more frequent in Turkic and Korean, while
open syllables are more prevalent in Mongolic,
Tungusic-Manchu, and Japanese languages. In Korean,
native words with CVV and CSV structures are also
observed. In the household lexicon of Altaic languages,
both morphological and syntactic methods of word
formation are widely used. In the Proto-Altaic period,
syntactic methods were more active. Compound nouns
of the noun + noun type were common in Proto-Turkic
and Proto-Korean. In later periods, as some words lost
their independence and began to function as affixes,
morphological word formation became increasingly
dominant.
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