The distribution of the palatalization processes in the Dargwa languages

The article is devoted to the study of the palatalization processes in the Dargwa languages (the Nakh-Dagestanian group of languages). The main purpose of the study is to identify the cases of velar consonants’ stop before i and e vowels in various Dargwa languages and dialects. For this purpose the following issues are set: a) to identify the number of Dargwa languages and dialects where the palatalization processes are expressed; b) to classify the Dargwa dialectal units according to a degree of susceptibility of velar consonants to palatalization; c) to study the palatalization processes in the Dargwa idioms where the palatalization is strongly expressed; d) to study the issue on the process of standard palatalization; e) to identify the number of dialects to which partial palatalization is characteristic. For solving the above-mentioned issues the following research methods are used: the methods of field linguistics, the comparative method and the method of synchronous analysis. The scientific novelty is a proposed hypothesis according to which palatalization started it's distribution from the southern and southwestern Dargin idioms when the speakers of the Mekegi dialects migrated to the north-east and lived far from the major groups of Dargwa people. As a result of the study, the idioms in which the processes of palatalization are present, and idioms where this phenomenon is absent are revealed. The processes of palatalization are characteristic to the southern languages and a number of dialects of the northern Dargwa language. According to the degree of susceptibility of velar consonants to palatalization in the different Dargwa languages and dialects, strongly expressed palatalization in Kaitag idiom, standard palatalization and partial palatalization are distinguished. These processes does not occur in the Northern Dargwa dialects of the Mekegi type.

the Caucasian languages, the Dargin languages, the dialect, migration, phonetics, palatalization, fricatives, stop consonants, affricates, labialized consonants