Article

Name: Ust’-Nyukzha idiom of the Evenki language: phonetics

Authors: O. N. Morozova

Amur State University, Blagoveshchensk, Russian Federation

In the section Фонетика

Abstract:

This study offers a complete phonetic examination of the Ust’-Nyukzha idiom, a preserved Evenki language of the Amur Region. Spoken by reindeer herders in the mountaintaiga of the Olyokma and Nyukzha river basins, this idiom belongs to the western group of the eastern (sibilant–spirant) dialect of Evenki. The modern Ust’-Nyukzha idiom represents a complex historical-linguistic formation shaped by convergence and prolonged contact among Evenki clans, with current clan structure reduced relative to the comprehensive clan registries from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. Comparative analysis reveals no correspondence with Evenki clans historically nomadic along the right bank of the Amur River, suggesting the absence of recent direct kinship ties or substantial linguistic influence from Chinese Evenks. The current ethno-demographic trends indicate decreasing clan diversity and an active kinship network contraction, with the Iengra, Kalar, Ust’-Urkima, and Tiania Evenks being the primary groups affected. Phonetic analysis based on original field data and instrumental methods identifies several distinctive features of the Ust’-Nyukzha idiom. The vowel system displays an asymmetrical structure with five short and six long phonemes, remaining resistant to diphthongization but exhibiting instability in the subsystem of narrow unrounded long vowels. The consonant system comprises eighteen phonemes and exhibits pronounced structural asymmetry, with a clear predominance of voiceless anterior stops over sonorants and fricatives. A binary voicing opposition is relevant for stops, whereas the phonological status of the fricatives /s/ and /h/ remains debatable. The prosodic system features four fundamental intonation patterns and a restricted melodic span.

Keywords: Evenki language, Ust’-Nyukzhinsky dialect, Olyokminsky dialect, Dzheltulaksky dialect, phonetics, vocalism, consonantism, intonation

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