Postfixal expression of the category of grammatical class in the attributive forms of the Dargin languages

Mutalov Rasul Osmanovich Doctor of Philology Professor, Chief Scientific Associate, Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences 125009, Russia, Moscow, lane. Bolshoy Kislovsky, 1/1 mutalovr@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Dargin languages are spoken in the Central part of mountainous Dagestan. Previously, they were considered as one language, but recently, due to the numerous discrepancies manifested at all language levels, they are considered separate languages ^{[1, p. 144]}. Like other East Caucasian languages, they are characterized by a rich morphology – they present a complex system of nominal inflection with many locative forms, as well as numerous verbal categories; in particular, they have an extensive system of species-temporal and modal forms.

The category of grammatical classes is common to the nominal parts of speech and the verb, it permeates the entire grammatical system of the language. A lot of works have been devoted to the study of this topic in Darginian linguistics – it is considered both in general grammatical descriptions and in separate articles ^[2-9]. Nevertheless, as it will be seen from the following presentation, there are many questions related to the category of grammatical classes and the functioning of class-numeric elements in various word forms – and so far the problem of a detailed study of this category remains relevant. The relevance of this topic also lies in the fact that the accelerating process of the disappearance of small languages has become obvious, associated with the mass migration of mountain residents to the flat part of the republic and to cities with a mixed population. In particular, in most of the villages whose material is used in this article (the villages of Shiri, Amuzgi, Itsari, Sanji of the Dahaday district and Chirag of the Agul district), currently either no one lives or several families live.

The purpose of the work is defined as the identification of cases of the use of changing class-numerical indicators of Darginian languages in the postfix position. Achieving this goal involves solving several tasks: a) studying the category of grammatical class in archaic South Darginian languages; b) studying the features of the functioning of class-numeric exponents; c) identifying attributive words in which class indicators function in a postfix position; d) comparative analysis of Darginian word forms with changing class-numeric elements. To solve these problems, it is assumed to use both the methods of field linguistics, as well as the comparative method and the method of synchronic analysis.

The research material was collected in the places of direct residence of speakers of various Darginian languages and dialects, as well as extracted from available published works on them. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that, for the first time, cases of the functioning of class-numerical indicators in the postfix position of attributive forms of several South Bulgarian idioms were subjected to comparative analysis – previously, a similar phenomenon was described only in the Kubachin language.

The theoretical basis of the study was the work of domestic and foreign researchers Uslar P.K., Abdullaev S.N., Magometova A.A., Sumbatova N.R., Temirbulatova S.M., Koryakova Yu.B., Forker D., Belyaeva O.I., Ganenkova D.S.

The category of grammatical classes is one of the most important categories for the Nakh-Dagestan languages, since it covers the entire language system. There are three grammatical classes in the Dargian languages: the first (male), the second (female) and the third (middle). The distribution of names is based on a semantic feature: all male persons are assigned to the first class, female persons to the second class, the rest of the names belong to the third class ^[2].

In ^[10], such a distribution of Darginian words into classes is considered close to ideal: "An ideal generic system would have to distribute all the names of living beings between the masculine and feminine genders, and attribute everything else to the middle gender. The systems of Dravidian and Dagestan languages are close to this ideal (such are, in particular, the three-membered systems of Avar and Dargin dialects)" ^{[10, p. 101]}.

In the Megabian language, there is also a fourth grammatical class, which includes only one noun dursi "girl, girl" ^{[11, p. 74]}.

To coordinate nouns with adjectives, verbs and adverbs in Darginian languages, class-numerical indicators are used. The indicator of the first grammatical class in Akushinsky (the basis of the Darginsky literary language), as in other Darginsky languages, is the element b (allomorph y); the class-numeric indicator of the second class is the sonorous p (in Kubachinsky y); the third grammatical is marked by the indicator b: urshi b-ak1ib "the boy came", rursi r-ak1ib "the girl has come", h1yaivan b-ak1ib "the animal has come". In the plural, the first and second classes are represented by the indicators d (1st and 2nd person) and b (3rd person); the third class has the indicator d: nusha d-ak1ira "we have come", x1usha d-ak1ira "you have come", adamti bak1ib "people have come", kiuli d-ak1ib "cows have come". ^{[12, p. 165]}.

Cool numerical indicators in Darginian languages function, as a rule, at the beginning of words: c-isht1asi "small", r-isht1asi, b-isht1asi; c-azes "to swim", r-azes, b-azes; c-ats1li "empty", r-ats1li, b-ats1li. There are also several nouns that represent changing class-numerical indicators: b-yah1 "face", p-yah1, b-yah1; vai "middle", r-ai, b-ai. In a number of words, the cool exhibitors petrified: but1a "piece", encore "crying".

In several verbs, class elements can also occur at the end of words: this is an auxiliary verb with the meaning of being sa-y "is", sa-r-i, sa-b-i and the verb le-v "is", le-r, le-b ^[13]. In the same verb of the Kaitag language, b-i "is", the class-numeric indicator occupies a prefixed position: b-i "is" (1 cl.), r-i, b-I. ^{[14, p. 60]}.

In all Darginian languages and dialects, there is a suffix –che-in, which, joining nouns, forms forms with the meaning of attribution: davla "wealth" + chev > "rich". This suffix contains a variable class indicator in the auslaut: g1yaklu-che-in urshi "smart boy", g1yaklu-che-r rursi "smart girl", g1yaklu-che-b xia "smart dog". "The suffix of the adjective -che-b, which contains a changing class indicator, goes back to the short form of the adverb of the place chedi (che-) "up". It is revealed that this morpheme in Darginian idioms functions in the form of an essay formed by attaching class indicators to the form of a lative… Sentences with the adjective suffix -c-b are diachronically relative sentences; during the development of the language, this adverb was grammaticalized" ^[15].

Adjectives and participles in the Darginian language can be full and short; short forms in sentences always function with definable words: ah dubura "high mountain" (the full form is ahsi dubura). The short forms of adjectives coincide with the base, and the short forms of participles coincide with the aorist, the form of the past tense: berts1ib kiats1 "baked bread" (cf.: berts1ib-si kiats1). They differ in that the short form of the participle always precedes the name, and the form of the aorist in the sentence takes the final position: berts1ib kjac1 "baked bread" - not kjac1 berts1ib "Mom baked bread".

The full forms of adjectives and participles are formed by attaching attributive indicators to short forms. To formalize full adjectives and participles in Darginian languages and dialects, various suffixes are used: -si (Akushinsky D.), -qi (Sirkhinsky D.), -ce (Tantynsky D.), -ze (Tsudakharsky D.), -il (Urakhinsky D.). The plural formant in them is the indicator -ti/- those.

In the Kubachin language, class-numeric indicators can also function at the end of adjective suffixes, which is one of the striking distinguishing features of this idiom from others. The adjective name "is formed from the nominal base by means of suffixes -zi-b/y/v (unit h.), -zhu-b/d (mn.h.). The presence of a changing class index in the suffixes of adjectives is a characteristic feature of Kubachinsky among the Dargin dialects. The adjective is consistent with the name it defines in the class and number: ara-zi-in adam "a healthy man", ara-zi-y khyunul "a healthy woman", ara-zi-b x1aivan "a healthy animal", ara-zhu-b adamte "healthy men", ara-zhu-b hyunne "healthy women", ara-zhu-d x1aavante "healthy animals" ^{[5, p. 144]}.

As noted in ^[5], in this idiom, "adjectives and participles have suffixes that contain class indicators: abdusib "clean", abduziy, abduziv, abduzib, abduzid: abduzib k1a "clean paper", abduzid k1ame "clean papers", abduziy yusse "neat girl", abduziv gal "neat (dosl. "clean") boy." Bakhuzib "walking", yahuziy, vahuziv, bakhuzib, dahuzid: vahuziv gal "walking boy", yahuziy yusse "walking girl" ^{[5, p. 75]}. An adjective or participle used in an attributive function before a defined name retains a class index in Kubachinsky.

In the Kubachin language, "the design of a class indicator of an adjective and a participle is similar to the Avar language, in which class indicators appear in the suffix of an adjective and a participle: une-c "walking", une-y "walking", une-b "walking"" ^{[5, p. 76]}.

In other dialects, the suffixes of adjectives do not have class indicators, so the determinant agrees with the determinant only in number. The suffixes of participles have class indicators, as a result of which participles formed from transitive verbs with class indicators are polypersonal.

Changing class indices in the suffixes of adjectives and participles were also revealed in the Shirin and Amuzginsky dialects. As noted in ^[16], "Kubachinsky, Ashtynsky, Shirinsky and Amuzginsky differ from all other dialects described today in that in them the suffix of the full forms of adjectives has the form -zi =KP in the singular and -zhu=KP in the plural, cf. lit. kyugaa-si roursi "beautiful girl", kubach., shir., amuzg:. kyugaa-zi-rursi "beautiful girl"... Thus, the formation of full forms of adjectives is a feature that clearly brings Shirinsky and Amuzginsky closer to Kubachinsky" ^{[16, p. 30]}.

In the Chirag language there are also several forms of tense formed from participles, in which class-numeric indicators, as in Kubachinsky, function in a postfix position (D. S. Ganenkov, L. S.). These are the forms of the obligative of the perfect and imperfect kind. An obligative indicates an intended action that should happen in the future. In the Chirag language, as in other Darginian idioms, this is formed by attaching a perfect or imperfect type of personal indicators to the participle. However, unlike other Darginian languages and dialects, with the exception of Kubachin, they contain a variable class-numeric index.

An imperfect obligative: birkianzi-in-yes "I am what I will do" (1 l.) – birkianzi-in-achchuda (negative form); birkianzi-in-de–birkianzi-in-achchutte (2 l.); birkianzi-in – birkianzi-in-akku (3l.). The past tense form is not conjugated: birkianzi-in-de –birkianzi-in-achchu. The obligative of the perfect form (present and past experimental) is formed from the perfect participle: barkjibzi-in-da – barkjibzi-in-achchuda (1 l.); barkjibzi-in-de –barkjibzi-in-achchutte (2 l.); barkjibzi-in –barkjibzi-in-akku (3 l.). The form of the past tense: barkjibzi-in-de –birkjanzi-in-achchu.

In the Itsarin dialect of the Tsudakhar-Sirkhin language, changing class indicators at the end of attribute indicators are presented in several cases. First of all, these are the forms of attributes that are formed from demonstrative pronouns. In this dialect, there is a system of deictic pronouns, which consists of five elements: izh "this one, at the speaker", il "that one, at the listener", ik1 "that one above the speaker", ig "that one below the speaker", it "that one aside". By attaching the affix -izi-b to them, attributive forms are formed: itizi-b "such as that" (3 cl.); izh-izi-b; il-izi-b; ikI-izi-b; ig-izi-b. Dul itiziv durhIu chivajibda "I saw such a boy"; itizir rirssi "a girl like that", itizib khal "a house like that", itizib adamti "such people", itizid duburti "such mountains" ^[17].

A similar phenomenon is noted in the Kubachin language. "Adjectives are formed from demonstrative pronouns by means of adjective suffixes: idizib, "such", idizhub "such", ilzib "such" (like what is near you), yizib "such" (like this one), ihizib "such" (like the one below), ik1izib "such" (like that one upstairs)" ^{[5, p. 144]}.

The changing class exponents in Itsarin are also represented in the interrogative pronoun: kuu-zi-v-qi? "Which one?", kuu-zi-r-qi? "Which one?", kuu-zi-b-qi? "which one?", "which one?", kuu-zi-ti? (from kuu-zi-d-ti?) "which ones?" Comparative forms are widely used in the Itsarin speech, which are also formed by means of the affix -izib: kyarkauuzivci "such as a stone", kyarkaruuzirci "such as a stone", kyarkabuuzibci "such as a stone". It should be noted that in these formations, the class and number of the word being defined are indicated twice.

An interesting case of the functioning of class-numeric indicators in attribute markers was also revealed in the Sanjin dialect of the Tsudakhar-Sirkha language. As noted in ^[18], one of the types of derived adjectives "can be formed from adjectives denoting relational qualities… Such adjectives perform attributive, predicative and meaningful functions" ^{[18, p. 125]}. They are formed from the bases of adjectives by means of the element b-asi-b, which contains two changing class-numerical indicators: bahb-b-azib "very much", kam-b-azib "very little", g1yah1-b-azib "very good", kugaa-b-azib "very beautiful" ^{[18, pp. 125-126]}.

In ^[19], cases of functioning of changing class indicators were also noted in other Dagestan languages: Avar Chiegiera-b "black", Andean se-b "one", Botlikh khya-b "good", Godoberinsky bellara-b "thin", Karatinsky Bechiatiiro-b "black", Akhvakh mats1ada-be "clean", Bagvalinsky Giachu-b "green", Tindinsky kIorkIalu-b "round", Tabasaran uju-b "good", Archinsky mutu-b "beautiful". Consequently, the postfix use of class indicators was characteristic of the proto-Dagestani state of the language.

Thus, as a result of the conducted research, all cases of postfix use of changing class exponents in Darginian languages and dialects have been identified. In particular, in the Chirag language, these affixes are represented in present and past tense forms formed from the basis of participles. In Kubachinsky, Shirinsky and Amuzginsky they function in adjectives and participles. In the Itsarin dialect, they are found in attributes formed from demonstrative pronouns, as well as in a particle of comparison, in Sanzhinsky – in adjectives denoting a high degree of quality.

Apparently, the postfix use of class-numeric indicators was characteristic of the Old Bulgarian state, which is confirmed by the material of other Dagestan languages. The presence of separate archaic South Darginian languages and dialects in various word forms of scattered cases of postfix functioning of class indicators indicates that in Darginian idioms there is a process of gradual extinction of the category of grammatical classes. The results of the work can be used in the preparation of a comparative historical grammar of the Dargin and Dagestan languages.