Selyutina Iraida (Novosibirsk, Russia)
The Sound Systems Investigations of the Siberian Peoples’ Languages by the Latest Research Technology
(57th Annual Meeting of the PIAC Vladivostok, 2014)
The complex interdisciplinary investigation being carried out by the workers of three SB RAS Institutes is in agreement with the efforts of the world scientific society aimed at preserving the minority languages as a constituent part of a biological, cultural and linguistic unity. The objective experimental-phonetic data on the endangered languages have been obtained by the techniques of the magnetic-resonance tomography and digital roentgenography and reported to the scientific society. The computer database of the phonetics of the indigenous ethnic groups of Siberia and the neighbouring regions has been formed, the somatic tuning parameters have been revealed and the typology of the articulatory-acoustic bases is been
developed.
The investigation results of the Mongolian languages by the latest techniques witness that though these languages have relatively close consonantal systems, their structural taxonomical organization principles differ. If Khalkha-Mongol and Kalmyk consonantal systems are structured by triple opposition according to the tenseness degree and are similar to the Southern-Siberian Turkic languages of the Sayan-Baikal region (Tuvan, Tofa, Shor and Barabar-Tartars’), than the Khori-Buryat consonantism structured by binary opposition of weak and super-weak units typologically resembles the Altai-Baikal Turkic languages (Altai, Khakass) and
Ugro-Samoedic languages of the Ural family for which strong tense articulations are not acceptable.
Consonant systems existing in some Altai-Sayan Turkic languages and organized by opposition in accordance with the length, which has resulted from overlapping of superstratum articulatory-acoustic base by substratum Ugro-Samoyedic one points to the existence of Ancient Turkic elements in the Altai-Sayan languages. These elements are characterized by triple opposition of strong/weak/superweak consonants: unacceptable for aboriginal population strong articulation transferred to the long one. The principle difference between North- and South-Altai languages is caused by ethnic features of the articulatory-acoustic bases.
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