Reconstruction:Xiongnu/ɣāt-tə̄j

This Xiongnu entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Xiongnu

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly:

borrowed from Proto-Iranian, either via Proto-Sogdic *xʷətwēn (whence Sogdian 𐼶𐼴𐽂𐼰𐼷𐼻 (xwtʾyn /⁠xutēn⁠/)) or Proto-Saka *xʷatuña, both ultimately from Proto-Iranian *hwatā́wniH (“queen, lady, consort”);^[1]
derived from Proto-Iranian, related to the forms above, but instead suffixed with Proto-Iranian *-ika-;^[2]
or inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *atɬ (“partner, spouse”), which would make it a cognate with Proto-Arinic *aλte (“partner”).^[3]

Proper noun

*ɣāt-tə̄́j^[1]

(anthroponymy) wife of the chanyu

Alternative reconstructions

*alte,^[4]^[3] *elte (→ MC *ʔat-tejʔ, *ʔen-tejʔ)^[3]
*xātika- (→ OC *a-ṭṣï, *ꞏât-d̂i̯ĕg, *ꞏât-t̂i̯ĕg > MC *ꞏât-źie̯, *ꞏât-tśie̯)^[2]
*arke (→ OC ʔɨɑn-kie)^[5]

Descendants

→ Chinese: 閼氏 / 阏氏 (yānzhī), 閼氐 / 阏氐

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Dybo, Anna (2014), “Early contacts of Turks and problems of Proto-Turkic reconstruction”, in Tatarica‎^[1], volume 2, page 9: “閼氐 *γāt-tə̄́j”
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Bailey, Harold Walter (1985), Etymology of Xiongnu Names‎^[2], page 36
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Vovin, Alexander (2003), “Did the Xiongnu Speak a Yeniseian Language? Part 2: Vocabulary”, in Altaica Budapestinensia, volume MMII (Proceedings of the 45^th Permanent International Altaistic Conference [PIAC]), page 392 of 389-394: “Xiongnu 閼氏, 閼氐 *ʔat-tijʔ, *ʔat-tejʔ, *ʔen-tijʔ, *ʔen-tejʔ “shan-yu’s wife”; *alte or *elte”
^ Vajda, Edward; Werner, Heinrich (2022), “*alte”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 38
^ Schuessler, Axel (2014), “Phonological Notes on Hàn Period Transcriptions of Foreign Names and Words”, in Richard VanNess Simmons and Newell Ann Van Auken, editors, Studies in Chinese and Sino-Tibetan Linguistics: Dialect, Phonology, Transcription and Text (Language and Linguistics Monograph Series)‎^[3], number 53, Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, page 268: “閼氏 Yānzhī;ʔɨɑn-kie 210 B.C.E. [SJ 110:2888; HS 94A:3749], perhaps *Arke, Queen of the Xiōngnú ruler”

[Dybo-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Dybo, Anna (2014), “Early contacts of Turks and problems of Proto-Turkic reconstruction”, in Tatarica‎^[1], volume 2, page 9: “閼氐 *γāt-tə̄́j”

[Bailey-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Bailey, Harold Walter (1985), Etymology of Xiongnu Names‎^[2], page 36

[Vovin-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Vovin, Alexander (2003), “Did the Xiongnu Speak a Yeniseian Language? Part 2: Vocabulary”, in Altaica Budapestinensia, volume MMII (Proceedings of the 45^th Permanent International Altaistic Conference [PIAC]), page 392 of 389-394: “Xiongnu 閼氏, 閼氐 *ʔat-tijʔ, *ʔat-tejʔ, *ʔen-tijʔ, *ʔen-tejʔ “shan-yu’s wife”; *alte or *elte”

[4] Vajda, Edward; Werner, Heinrich (2022), “*alte”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 38

[5] Schuessler, Axel (2014), “Phonological Notes on Hàn Period Transcriptions of Foreign Names and Words”, in Richard VanNess Simmons and Newell Ann Van Auken, editors, Studies in Chinese and Sino-Tibetan Linguistics: Dialect, Phonology, Transcription and Text (Language and Linguistics Monograph Series)‎^[3], number 53, Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, page 268: “閼氏 Yānzhī;ʔɨɑn-kie 210 B.C.E. [SJ 110:2888; HS 94A:3749], perhaps *Arke, Queen of the Xiōngnú ruler”

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