EURASIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS

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Syllable Theory and Diachronic Phonology: Vocalism and Consonantism in Turkic Languages

Zeinep Bazarbayeva
Doctor of Philology, Academician of NAS RK, A. Baitursynov Institute of Linguistics, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Nazgul Ospangaziyeva
PhD Student at the Department of Linguistics, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and A. Baitursynov Institute of Linguistics, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Akshay Zhalalova
PhD in Philological Sciences, T. Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Kulpash Koptleuova
Associate Professor, Baishev University, Aktobe, Kazakhstan.
Ainur Karshigayeva
A. Baitursynov Institute of Linguistics, Senior Researcher of the Department of Phonetics, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Keywords: Diachronic Phonology, Turkic Languages, Sound, Syllable, Syngarmonism. ,

Abstract

Languages that have complex syllable patterns also share linguistic features with each other. These features can be identified through diachronic paths developed by these syllable patterns this study aimed to show the universality of syllabemes in Kazakh and other languages, focusing on questions like evolution of syllables in the Turkic languages; whether a syllable can be called universal in Turkic languages, and whether CV-type syllable be called universal. The study used a qualitative research design to reconstruct linguistic forms in the Turkic languages. This approach is highly valuable for diachronic phonology, which studies existing models of phonological structures and retrospectively determine the proto-language model characteristic of modern languages. This method helps to restore the phonological system of a proto-language, by bringing together synchronous slice of one language or different synchronous slices of several related languages. This method is comparative and typological; and focused on both ancient and modern languages including Bulgarian, Chuvsh, Yakut (ancient) and New Turkic languages like Azerbaijani, Gagauz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Kazakh and Tatar. The data revealed the dynamism of the Turkic languages, showing that they constantly changed, developed and improved. A comparative analysis of closely related languages morpheme was also done to make an etymological reconstruction. The results suggest that highly complex syllable structure is a linguistic type distinct from but sharing some characteristics with other proposed holistic phonological types, including stress-timed and consonantal languages. The study contributes to understanding the syllable theory in diachronic development of syllable patterns and syllable structures.