STUDIES IN ARMENIAN ETYMOLOGY - Get a Free Blog

Dissimilation in the opposite direction, viz. r...r > r...l, is less frequent; see
3.5.2.2 on Svedia j`irəba�ɫig `hyena' etc.
2.1.25 2.1.25 Assimalation Assimalation and and dissimilation
dissimilation
Very often, especially in dialects, an assimilatory or a dissimilatory process
seems irregular and arbitrary. A careful examination reveals that we may be
dealing with a complex simultaneous process of assimilation and/or dissimilation
in which three or more (rather than two) participants are involved. A possible
example is bok bok----ik bok bok ik ik ik `barefoot' > dial. *bobik. A metathesis of the type P...K > P...P
is exceptional for Armenian and does not occur in words like bak, buk`, po/uk,
p`ak, etc. (see HAB s.v.v.). One might therefore explain bokik > *bobik through a
twofold process: assimilation (b...k > b...b) and dissimilation (k...k > b...k). Thus:
b...k...k... > b...b...k [labial-velar-velar > labial-labial-velar, or ABB > AAB]. Cf.
Aɫayan 1987: 269-270. Examples for vocalic assimilation + dissimilation: eraxay
`child' > dial. *erexa, MIran. *Mihraka�n > Arm. mehekan `the 7th month of the
ancient Armenian calendar'.
An interesting example is discussed s.v. aaaaɫeɫn ɫeɫn ɫeɫn ɫeɫn `bow; rainbow'.
Further examples:
zok`an‰` zok`an‰` zok`an‰` zok`an‰` `wife's mother' > �arabaɫ za��nk`u‰`, za��mk`u‰`, zɛ�nk`u‰`, zɛ�mk`u‰`
[Davt`yan 1966: 351]: zok`an‰` > *zak`on‰` > za�/ɛnk`u‰` > za�/ɛmk`u‰`, as well as
nzov- `to curse' > �arabaɫ mzov-,
�ptal �ptal �ptal �ptal `to smile' : S�atax �əmtal [M. Muradyan 1962: 196b]; M. Muradyan
(1962: 55) posits a twofold development: �p > �m, assimilative loss of the plosive
feature, and pt > mt, plosive dissimilation.
xaɫoɫ xa xa xaɫoɫ
ɫoɫ ɫoɫ `grape' > *xavoɫ (in numerous dialects, see HAB 2: 322a). The choice
of the -v- may have been triggered by the following labial vowel -o-: A-AoA >
A-BoA (/vel. + V + vel. + V lab + vel./ > (/vel. + V + lab. + V lab + vel./, in other
words, of the three velar fricatives, the middle one, which precedes the labial
vowel -o-, is dissimilated into labial -v-). Compare dial. *pavart from parart `fat':
balard (see above). Note also *havoɫ < the same xaɫoɫ `grape'. This is, thus, a
combination of two dissimilatory developments: 1) x-ɫ-ɫ > h-ɫ-ɫ, 2) x-ɫ-ɫ > x-v-ɫ.
tzruk tzruk tzruk tzruk `leech' (q.v.) is reflected in J�uɫa as pzdruk `a leech-like water worm'
[HAB 4: 400a]. In order to explain this form, A‰ar�yan (1940: 145, 160-161, 163)
proposes a complicated scenario involving three steps: 1) metathesis (tz- > *zt-);
2) addition of a "prothetic" p-; 3) -zt- > -zd-. Thus: tzruk > *ztruk > *p-ztruk >
pzdruk. The first two steps are not convincing, however. An alternative
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