Basic vocabulary of Yupik languages: a lexicostatistical analysis

Journal of Language Relationship. 2024. Vol. 22. No. 3–4. P. 296–341.

Yuri B. Koryakov

This article presents a lexicostatistical classification of Yupik languages included in the Eskaleut family, using 110-word lists as the basis for comparison. The study aims to refine and expand upon previous lexicostatistical work on Yupik languages, focusing on semantic clarifications and contextual considerations in compiling the word lists. The study includes new data from recent dictionaries and fieldwork, particularly for the Central Siberian Yupik (CSY).

The study improves on earlier works by providing a more nuanced approach to word selection, including synonyms, regional variations, and frequency data. It also broadens the scope of the research by including more dialects, specifically five dialects of Central Alaskan Yup'ik (CAY) and two varieties of Alutiiq.

The study's results generally confirm the classification scheme proposed by Vakhtin and Golovko (1987), with some minor adjustments. For instance, Nunivak Yupik is suggested to be a more divergent variety, potentially warranting separate language status. At the same time, the article discusses serious differences from Mudrak (2008) work, concerning both the aging of certain linguistic nodes and the topography of the language tree.

Keywords: лексикостатистика, lexicostatistics, глоттохронология, лексикостатистическое датирование, базовая лексика, праязык, родственные языки, совпадающие слова, несовпадающие слова, время расхождения языков, новые языки, языковая классификация, эскимосско-алеутские языки, language classification, basic vocabulary, Eskimo-Aleut languages, юпикские языки, Yupik languages, Naukan language, науканский