A diachronic study of the conjunctions kiged and bolun in Mongolian
(63rd Annual Meeting Ulaanbaatar, 2021)
This paper reports some results of corpus-based syntactic studies on conjunctions and particles from Middle Mongolian to earlier Modern Mongolian. Diachronic data are retrieved from corpora of the following historical texts: Mongγol-un niγuča tobčiyan (1228) ‘Secret History of the Mongols’(SHM), Mongolian Monuments in ‘Phags-pa Script (1276-1368) [Tumurtogoo 2010], and Preclassical Mongolian monuments in the Uighur-Mongolian script (13th-16th centuries) [Tumurtogoo 2006] for texts represented Middle Mongolian; Manju-i Yargiyan Kooli (1635) ‘Manchu Veritable Records’ (MSL), Erdeni-yin Tobčiya (1662) ‘Precious Summary’ (ET), Beijing woodblock version of Mongolian Geser (1716), Mongolian Laoqida (1790) (LQD), and Köke Sudur (1871) ‘The blue chronicle’ (KS) for Late Mongolian texts; Manju Monggo Nikan Ilan Acangga Šu-i Tacibure Hacin-i Bithe (1909, 1910) ‘Manchu-Mongolian-Chinese Readers’ (MMC) for early Modern Mongolian (early 10th century).
Both kiged (< ki- ‘to do’ + -ged ‘perfect converb’) and bolun (< bol- ‘to become’ + -n ‘modal converb’) are used as conjunctions. In Pre-classical Mongolian, the conjuctions kiged and bolun were usually placed after the last word of a group. See (1) and (2). However, in Modern Mongolian they are placed before the last word of a group.
(1) a. Qubilai, Čilgütei, Qarqai=toγura’u:n γurban-ni Qasar-lu’a: bolun üldüs aγsaǰu,” küčürkekün-i küǰü’ü:d anu kiñgüridkün! omorqaqun-i omori’u:(d) oñlaǰidqun!” ke’e:be. (SHM S.124)
b. “ǰamuqa-da-ča edün irgen irebei.” ke’e:n Čiñgis-qaha:n “ö:r-tür-iye:n ulus irebei.” ke’e:n bayasču Čiñgis-qaha:n, Hö’e:lün-üǰin, Qasar, ǰürkin-ü Sača-beki, Taičutan bolun “Onan-u tün-dür qurimlaya!” ke’e:ldüǰü qurimlarun Čiñgis-qaha:n-na, Hö’e:lün-üǰin-ne, Qasar-a, Sača-beki-de ki:’e:d teri’ü:len nigen tüsürge tüsürčü’ü:i. (SHM S.130)
c. tende Naiman Mergid bolun qamtudču bayi:ldun yadaǰu buru’u:ilan ködölürün Ertis-i getülürün čüb-tusču olonki-ya:n usun-dur ükü’ü:lǰü’ü:i. (SHM S.198)
d. basa “Qorči γurban minγad Ba’a:rin-u de’e:re Taγai , Ašig qoyar-lu’a: Adargin-u Čino:s Tö’ö:lös Teleñgüd bolun tüme dü’ü:rčü Qorči medeǰü Ertis γudus Hoi-yin irgen-dür kürtele nuntuγ darqalan nuntuγlaǰu Hoi-yin irgen-i daru’u:lun Qorči tüme medetügei!” ke’e:n ǰarliγ bolba. (SHM S.207)
(2) a. ǰamuqa-lu’a: aγsad ǰadaran, Qatagin, Salǰi’u:d, Dörben, Tayiči’u:d, Uñgirad ki:’e:d tende kü orobai. (SHM S.196)
b. Čiñgis-qaha:n ǰarliγ bolǰu ,”eke-de kö’ü:d-te de’ü: ner-e irge qubiya:ǰu ögüye!” ke’e:n ögürün “ulus quriya:n ǰobaγsad eke büyü ǰe. aqa ǰoči bui ǰe. de’ü: ner-ün minü nilqa Odčigin bui ǰe.” ke’e:ǰü eke-de Odčigin-u qubi ki:’e:d tümen irge ögbe. (SHM S.242)
The distributions and functions of the forms kiged and bolun will be investigated from a historical perspective, based on data drawn from corpora of texts from Middle to early Modern Mongolian, published field reports of Modern Mongolic languages, and our own field notes.