Reconstruction:Proto-Mongolic/kelen

This Proto-Mongolic 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.

Proto-Mongolic

Reconstruction

Relatively secure. Daur palatalization is irregular but also found in other terms.

Etymology

Likely related somehow to Oghuz كَلاجُو (kelēçǖ, “talk, conversation”), which Clauson however considers neither of Turkic origin nor related to the Mongolian word, and Chuvash кала (kala, “to talk”).

Another attractive parallel is Proto-Uralic *käle (“tongue, language”) (Finnish kieli), but mainstream linguistics presumes no relation with Uralic.

Noun

*kelen

1. tongue
2. language

Descendants

• Middle Mongol:
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠡᠯᠡᠨ (kelen), ᠬᠡᠯᠡ (kele)
  • Arabic: کـیلَن (kelen) (Muqaddimat)
  • Chinese: 克勒 (kele) (Beilu Yiyu)
• Mongolian:
  • Classical: ᠬᠡᠯᠡ (kele)
  • Khalkha Mongolian: хэл (xel)
  • Ordos: /kʰele/
  • → Manchu: ᡥᡝᠯᡝᠨ (helen, “spy”)
• Buryat: хэлэ(н) (xele(n))
• Khamnigan Mongol: kelü(n), kölö(n), kele(n)
• Kalmyk: келн (keln)
• Daur: xely
• East Yugur: kelen
• Monguor:
  • Mongghul: kilee
  • Mangghuer: kelie
• Bonan:
  • Gansu: kalang
  • Qinghai: kelang
• Kangjia: kilio
• Dongxiang: kielien
• Mogholi: kelan

Further reading

• Nugteren, Hans (2011) Mongolic phonology and the Qinghai-Gansu languages (dissertation)‎^[1], Utrecht: LOT, page 409