Frequency of vowel and consonant phonemes in Even nimkans

Abstract

In recent decades, the possibilities of computer technology have been intensively expanding, and its exploitation leads to progress in scientific fields. The study of the frequency of language units in various idioms, with a focus on spoken and written speech, is being carried out by a wide range of linguists, both in Russia and abroad. The focus is also on the languages of small-numbered indigenous peoples, which remain unstudied from a statistical point of view. The present study deals with the numerical variation of vowel and consonant phonemes in the Even language. The study is based on the work of Olga Morozova, Svetlana Androsova and Nadezhda Bulatova “Frequency characteristics of phonemes in the Even language: data from a pilot experiment” (2019). The relevance lies in the lack of scholarly works on the numerical ratio of vocalic and consonant phonemes in the sound structure of the Even language. The novelty stems from the activation of the quantitative approach in linguistic research to compile certain matrices illustrating certain linguistic norms and deviations. The aim is to establish the syntagmatic frequency of vowel and consonant phonemes in the Even language on the material of Even nimkans. Nimkan is a genre of the Even folk narrative, which combines urumkun nimkan (a myth with fairy tale elements) and ikelken nimkan (an epic tale with song dialogues). In accordance with the aim of the study, the following tasks were set: to transcribe orthographic records of Even nimkans using symbols of the international phonetic alphabet, to conduct a syntagmatic analysis of the frequency of sounds. The methods of quantitative counting and comparative analysis were used in performing the work. The material of the study is the texts of Even nimkans recorded between 1976 and 2003 by Vasiliy Robbek, Elena Nesterova, Elena Ivanova and Nikolay Tarabukin from the Even village of Berezovka (Srednekolymsky district of Yakutia).

Undoubtedly, oral tradition, as a form of transmitting information in a generational sequence, has many complex structures both linguistically and semiotically. The study of folklore narrative from a statistical perspective implies a syntagmatic analysis of the numerical variation of words or their parts. The main results of the study are: the confirmation of the hypothesis about the subjective representation of the Even people with regards to vocalization of their language, the identification of syntagmatic frequencies of vowel and consonant sounds by features (row, rise, mode and place of formation, etc.), getting coefficients showing the difference between phonemes. The prospect of the study is a paradigmatic consideration of the frequency of vowel and consonant sounds of the Even language.

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