On the Affinities of the Languages of Caucasus With the Monosyllabi… — Opuscula by R. G. Latham

On the Affinities of the Languages of Caucasus With the Monosyllabic Languages

Read at the Meeting of the British Association at Cambridge 1845

Taking the samples of the Georgian, Lesgian, Mizhdzhedzhi, and Circassian classes as we find them in the Asia Polyglotta and comparing them with the specimens of the monosyllabic languages in the same work, in Brown’s Tables, and in Leyden’s paper on the Indo-Chinese Languages, we find the following coincidences.7

English, sky

1. Circassian, whapeh, wuafe

2. Aka, aupa

Khamti, fa

English, sky

1. Absné, kaukh

Altekesek, hak

2. Akush, kaka

Burmese, kydukkhe

English, sky

1. Tshetshentsh, tulak

2. Koreng, talo

Khoibu, thullung

English, sun

1. Georgian, mse

Mingrelian, bsha

Suanic, mizh

2. Kuan-chua, zhi

Sianlo, suu

English, fire

1. Absné, mza

Circassian, mafa

2. Khamti, fai

Siam, fai

Aka, umma

Aber, eme

Burmese, mi

Karyen, me

Manipur, mai

Songphu, mai

Kapwi, &c., mai

English, day

1. Tshetshentsh, dini

Ingúsh, den

Kasikumuk, kini

2. Koreng, nin

Jili, tana

Singpho, sini

English, day

1. Andi, thyal

2. Garo, salo

English, moon

1. Georgian, twai=month

Suanic, twai

2. Moitay, ta

English, star

1. Kasikumuk, zuka

2. Garo, asake

Jili, sakan

Singpho, sagan

English, hill

1. Kasikumuk, suntu

2. Chinese, shan

English, earth

1. Absné, tshullah

Altekesek, tzula

2. Kapwi, talai

Khoibu, thalai

English, earth

1. Andi, zkhur

2. Mishimi, tari

English, earth

1. Dido, tshedo

2. Koreng, kadi

English, snow

1. Lesgian, asu

Circassian, uas

Abassian, asse

2. Chinese, siwe

English, salt

1. Lesgian 8(3), zam

2. Chinese, yan

English, salt

1. Kabutsh, tshea

Dido, zio

Kasikumuk, psu

Akush, dze

2. Tibetan, tsha

English, dust

1. Tshetshentsh, tshen

2. Chinese, tshin

English, sand

1. Avar, tshimig

2. Tibetan, bydzoma

English, sand

1. Circassian, pshakhoh

2. Chinese, sha

English, leaf

1. Tshetshentsh, ga

Ingush, ga

2. Chinese, ye

English, tree

1. Mizjeji, che

Circassian, dzeg

2. Chinese, shu

English, stone

1. Andi, hinzo

2. Siamese, hin

English, sea

1. Georgian, sgwa

2. Chinese, shuy=water

Tibet, çi=do

Môn, zhe=do

Ava, te=do

English, river

1. Anzukh, or kyare

Avar, hor, khor

2. Champhung, urai

English, river

1. Abassian, aji

2. Tibetan, tshavo

English, river

1. Altekesek, sedu

Absné, dzedu

2. Songphu, duidai

English, water

1. Kasikumuk, sin

Akush, shen

Kubitsh, tzun, sin

2. Singpho, ntsin

Jili, mchin

Manipur, ising

English, water

1. Absné, dzeh

2. Songphu, dui

Kapwi, tui

Tankhul, tu

English, water

1. Mizjeji, chi

2. Garo, chi

English, rain

1. Andi, za

Ingush, du

Abassian, kua

2. Chinese, yu

English, summer

1. Tushi, chko

Mizjeji, achke

2. Chinese, chia

English, winter

1. Anzukh, tlin

Andi, klinu

Kasikumuk, kintul

Akush, chani

Absné, gene

2. Tibetan, r gun

Chinese, tung

English, cow

1. Circassian, bsa

2. Tibetan, r shu

English, dog

1. Avar, choi

Andi, choi

Dido, gwai

Kubitsh, koy

Circassian, khhah

2. Chinese, keu

Tibetan, kyi

English, horse

1. Lesgian, tshu

Circassian, tshe, shu

2. Tibetan, r dda

English, bird

1. Avar, hedo

2. Tankhul, ata

English, bird

1. Andi, purtie

2. Abor, pettang

Aka, put’ah

English, fish

1. Avar, tshua

Circassian, bbzheh

2. Khamti, pa

Siamese, pla

Aka, ngay

Abor, engo

Burmese, nga

Karyen, nga

Singpho, nga

Songphu, kha

Mishimi, ta

Maram, khai

Luhuppa, khai

Tankhul, khi

Anam, khi

English, flesh

1. Kabutsh, kho

Abassian, zheh

2. Chinese, shou

Tibetan, zhsha

English, egg

1. Tshetshentsh, khua

2. Khamti, khai

Siamese, khai

English, egg

1. Kabutsh, tshemuza

2. Mishimi, mtiumaie

English, egg

1. Akush, dukhi

2. Garo, to`ka

English, son

1. Mizjeji, ua, woe

2. Tibetan, bu

English, hair

1. Kasikumuk, tshara

2. Jili, kara

Singpho, kara

English, hair

1. Avar, sab

Anzukh, sab

Tshari, sab

2. Burmese, shaben

Manipur, sam

Songpho (6), sam

English, hair

1. Tshetshentsh, kazeresh

2. Karyen, khosu

Tankhul, kosen

English, head

1. Georgian, tawi

Lazic, ti

Suanic, tchum

2. Chinese, teu, seu

Anam, tu ď u

Ava, kang (5)

English, head

1. Andi, mier, maœr

2. Assam, mur

English, head

1. Absné, kah, aka

Altekesek, zeka

2. Karen, kho

Manipur, kok

Taukhul, akao

English, mouth

1. Lesgian, kall

2. Chinese, keu

Anamese, kau

Tibetan, ka

English, mouth

1. Tushi, bak

2. Teina, pak

English, mouth

1. Georgian, piri

Mingrelian, pidehi

Suanic, pil

2. Ava, parat (4)

English, mouth

1. Kubitsh, mole

2. Khoibu, mur

Maring, mur

English, mouth

1. Andi, kol, tkol

Lesgian (3), kaal

2. Manipur, chil

English, eye

1. Andi, puni

2. Chinese, yan

English, ear

1. Avar, een, ain, en

Anzukh, in

Tshari, een, ein

Andi, kanka, andika

2. Burmese, na

Karen, naku

Singpho, na

Songphu, anhukon

Kapwi, kana

Koreng, kon

Maram, inkon

Champhung, khunu

Luhuppa, khana

Tankhul, akhana

Koibu, khana

English, tooth

1. Lesgian (3), sibi

Avar, zavi

Circassian, dzeh

2. Tibetan, so

Chinese, tshi

English, tongue

1. Circassian, bbse

Absné, ibs

2. Tibetan, rdzhe

Chinese, shi

English, foot

1. Kasikumuk, dzhan

2. Khamti, tin

English, foot

1. Mizjeji (3), kog, koeg

2. Manipur, khong

Tankhul, akho

English, foot

1. Andi, tsheka

Kubitsh, tag

Jili, takkhyai

2. Garo, jachok

English, foot

1. Georgian, pechi

2. Maplu, pokâ=leg

English, finger

1. Mingrelian, kiti

Moitay, khoit=hand

2. Play, kozu=do

English, hand

1. Georgian, chéli

Lazic, ieh

Mingrelian, ché

Suanic, shi

2. Chinese, sheu

English, hand

1. Andi, katshu

Kabutsh, koda

2. Khoibu, khut

Manipur, khut

English, blood

1. Absné, tsha, sha

Tshetshentsh, zi

Ingús, zi

2. Singpho, sai

Songpho, zyai

Kapwi, the

Maram, azyi

Champhung, azi

Luhuppa, ashi

Tankhul, asu

English, blood

1. Dido, é

2. Manipur, i

Koibu, hi

Maring, hi

English, blood

1. Tshetshentsh, yioh

Circassian, tlih

2. Chinese, chine

English, skin

1. Circassian, ffeh

2. Chinese, pi

English, skin

1. Dido, bik

2. Tibetan, shbagsbba

English, bone

1. Tshetshentsh, dyackt

Ingúsh, tekhh

Akúsh, likka

Tshari, rekka

2. Khamti, nuk

Siamese, kraduk

English, great

1. Georgian, didi

Mingrelian, didi

2. Canton, ta

Kuan-chua, ta, da

Tonkin, drai

Cochin-chinese, dai

Tibet, çe

Ava, kyi (5)

Play, du

Teina, to

English, bad

1. Mingrelian, moglach

Suanic, choya

2. Chinese, go gok

Môn, kah

Ava, makaung (4)

—— gye (2)

English, warm

1. Ingush, tau

2. Tibetan, dzho

English, blue

1. Mizjeji (3), siene

2. Chinese, zing

Tibetan, swongbba

English, yellow

1. Circassian, khozh

2. Abassian, kha

Chinese, chuang

English, green

1. Avar, ursheria

Anzukh, ordjin

Ingush, send

2. Tibetan, shjanggu

English, below

1. Georgian, kwewrt, kwerno

2. Ava, haukma

Yo, auk

Passuko, hoko

Kolaun, akoa

English, one

1. Lesgian, zo

Akush, za

Andi, sew

Dido, zis

Kasikumuk, zabá

Mizjeji, tza

Abassian, seka

2. Tibetan, dzig

English, three

1. Georgian, sami

Lazic, jum

Mingrelian, sami

Suanic, semi

2. Canton Chinese, sam

Kuanchua, san

Tonkin, tam

Tibetan, sum

Môn, sum

Ava, thaum

Siam, sum

English, four

1. Abassian, pshi ba

2. Tibetan, bshi

Chinese, szu

English, five

1. Georgian, chuthi

Lazic, chut

Mingrelian, chuthi

Suanic, wochu’si

2. Ava, yadu

English, six

1. Tshetshentsh, yatsh

Ingush, yatsh

Tushi, itsh

2. Tibetan, dzhug

English, nine

1. Circassian, bgu

2. Tibetan, rgu

Chinese, kieu

English, ten

1. Circassian, pshe

Abassian, zheba

2. Tibetan, bdzhu

Chinese, shi

Addenda (1859)

The limited amount of the data must be borne in mind. As has been stated, no vocabularies beyond those of the four works enumerated were used. Had the comparison been more extended, the evidence of the Tibetan affinities of the languages under notice would have been stronger. That this would have been the case has since been proved.

In 1849, just before the publication of my Varieties of Man, I found from my friend Mr. Norris that, upon grammatical grounds, he had come to the same conclusion. A reference to the, then, recently published contributions of Rosen satisfied me that this was the case. The following is an abstract of his exposition of the structure of (1) the Iron, and (2) the Circassian.

(1) — Iron

The Declension of Substantives is as follows;

	Singular.	Plural.
Nom.	fid (father)	fid-t`-a
Gen.	fid-i	fid-t`-i
Dat.	fid-én	fid-t`-am
Abl.	fid-éi	fid-t`-éi
Nom.	moi (husband)	moi-t`-a
Gen.	moi-i	moi-t`-i
Dat.	moi-én	moi-t`-am
Abl.	moi-éi	moi-t`-éi.

The Comparative Degree is formed by the addition of -dar; as chorz=good, chorz-dar=better.

The pronouns of the two first persons are as follows;

1. Az=I. Defective in the oblique cases. Man or ma, defective.

2. Di=Thou. Defective in the nominative singular.

	Sing.	Plural.
Nom.	—	mach
Gen.	man-i	mach-i
Dat.	man-an	mach-én
Accus.	man	mach
Abl.	man-éi	mach-éi.
Nom.	di	si-mach
Gen.	daw-i 9	si-mach-i
Dat.	daw-on	si-mach-én
Accus.	daw	si-mach
Abl.	daw-éi	si-mach-éi.

The signs of the persons of the verbs are -in, -is, -i; -am -ut`, -inc`; e. g.

qus-in=aud-io	qus-am=aud-imus
qus-is=aud-is	qus-ut`=aud-itis
qus-i=aud-it	qus-inc`=aud-iunt.

The addition of the sound of t helps to form the Irôn preterite. I say helps, because if we compare the form s-ko-t-on=I made, with the root kan, or the form fé-qus-t-on=I heard, with the root qus, we see, at once, that the addition of t is only a part of an inflection.

Beyond this, the tenses become complicated; and that because they are evidently formed by the agglutination of separate words; the so-called imperfect being undoubtedly formed by affixing the preterite form of the word to make. The perfect and future seem to be similarly formed, dele from the auxiliary=be; as may be collected from the following paradigms.

1

Plural—Present,	st-am, st-ut, i-st-i=sumus, estis, sunt.
Singular—Preterite,	u-t-an, u-t-as, u-d-i=fui, fuisti, fuit.
Singular—Future,	u-gín-an, u-gín-as, u-gén-i=ero, eris, erit.
Imperative	fau=esto.

2

Root, k`an=make.
Preterite,=s-k`o-t-on,10 s-k`o-t-ai, s-k`o-t-a=feci, fecisti, fecit.

3

Root, kus=hear.

Indicative

	Sing.	Plural.
Present,	1. qus-in	qus-am.
	2. qus-is	qus-ut`
	3. qus-i	qus-inc`.
Imperfect,	1. qus-ga-k`o-t-on	qus-ga-k`o-t-am
	2. qus-ga-k`o-t-ai	qus-ga-k`o-t-al`
	3. qus-ga-k`o-t-a	qus-ga-k`o-t-oi
Perfect,	1. fé-qus-t-on	fé-qus-t-am
	2. fé-qus-t-ai	fé-qus-t-al`
	3. fé-qus-t-a	fé-qus-t-oi
Future,	1. bai-qus-g’in-an	bai-qus-g’i-stam
	2. bai-qus-g’in-as	bai-qus-g’i-stut`
	3. bai-qus-g’én-i	bai-qus-g’i-sti

Conjunctive

	Sing.	Plural.
Present,	1. qus-on	qus-am
	2. qus-ai	qus-at`
	3. qus-ai	qus-oi
Imperfect,	1. qus-ga-k`an-on	qus-ga-k`an-am
	2. qus-ga-k`an-ai	qus-ga-k`an-ai`
	3. qus-ga-k`an-a	qus-ga-k`an-oi

Imperative

1. ——	bai-qus-am
2. bai-qus	bai-qus-ut`
3. bai-qus-a	bai-qus-oi

Infinitive, Qus-in

Participles, qus-ag, qus-gond, qus-in-ag.

(2) — Circassian

In the Absné dialect ab=father, ácĕ=horse; ab ácĕ=father’s horse, (verbally, father horse). Here position does the work of an inflection.

The use of prepositions is as limited as that of inflections, sara s-ab ácĕ ist`ap I my-father horse give, or giving am; abna amus`w izbt=wood bear see-did=I saw a bear in the wood; awinĕ wi as`wkĕ=(in) house two doors; ácĕ sis`lit=(on) horse mount I-did.

Hence, declension begins with the formation of the plural number. This consists in the addition of the syllable k`wa.

Acĕ=horse;	ácĕ-k`wa=horses.
Atsla=tree;	astla-k`wa=trees.
Awinĕ=house;	awinĕ-k`wa=houses.

In the pronouns there is as little inflection as in the substantives and adjectives, i. e. there are no forms corresponding to mihi, nobis, &c.

1. When the pronoun signifies possession, it takes an inseparable form, is incorporated with the substantive that agrees with it, and is s- for the first, w- for the second, and i- for the third, person singular. Then for the plural it is h- for the first person, s`- for the second, r- for the third: ab=father;

S-ab=my father;	h-ab=our father.
W-ab=thy father;	s`-ab=your father.
T-ab=his (her) father;	r-ab=their father.

2. When the pronoun is governed by a verb, it is similarly incorporated.

3. Hence, the only inseparable form of the personal pronoun is to be found when it governs the verb. In this case the forms are:

Sa-ra=I	Ha-ra=we
Wa-ra=thou	S`a-ru=ye
Ui=he	U-bart`=they.

In sa-ra, wa-ra, ha-ra, s`a-ra, the -ra is non radical. The word u-bart` is a compound.

The ordinal=first is achani. This seems formed from aka=one.

The ordinal=second is agi. This seems unconnected with the word wi-=two; just as in English, second has no etymological connection with two.

The remaining ordinals are formed, by affixing -nto, and (in some case) prefixing -a; as

	Cardinals.	Ordinals.
3,	Chi-ba 11	A-chi-nto
4,	P`s`i-ba	A-p`s`i-nto
5,	Chu-ba	A-chu-nto
6,	F-ba	F-into
7,	Bis`-ba	Bs-into
8,	Aa-ba	A-a-nto
9,	S`-ba	S`b-into
10,	S`wa-ba	Sw-ento.

In the Absné verbs the distinction of time is the only distinction denoted by any approach to the character of an inflection; and here the change has so thoroughly the appearance of having been effected by the addition of some separate and independent words, that it is doubtful whether any of the following forms can be considered as true inflections.

Root, C’wis`l=ride

1.	Present,	C’wis`l-ap=I ride12=equito.
2.	Present,	C’wis`l-oit=I am riding.
	Imperfect,	C’wis`l-an=equitabam.
	Perfect,	C’wis`l-it=equitavi.
	Plusquamperfect,	C’wis`l-chén=equitaveram.
	Future,	C’wis`l-as`t=equitabo.

The person and number is shown by the pronoun. And here must be noticed a complication. The pronoun appears in two forms:—

1st. In full, sara, wara &c.

2nd. As an inseparable prefix; the radical letter being prefixed and incorporated with the verb. It cannot, however, be said that this is a true inflexion.

1.
Sing.	1. sara s-c’wisl-oit	=	I ride
	2. wara u-c’wisl-oit	=	thou ridest
	3. ui i-c’wisl-oit	=	he rides.
2.
Plur.	1. hara ha-c’wisl-oit	=	we ride
	2. s`ara s`-c’wisl-oit	=	ye ride
	3. ubart r-c’wisl-oit	=	they ride

In respect to the name of the class under notice I suggested in 1850 the term Dioscurian from the ancient Dioscurias. There it was that the chief commerce between the Greeks and Romans, and the natives of the Caucasian range took place. According to Pliny, it was carried on by thirty interpreters, so numerous were the languages. The great multiplicity of mutually unintelligible tongues is still one of the characteristics of the parts in question. To have used the word Caucasian would have been correct, but inconvenient. It is already mis-applied in another sense, i. e., for the sake of denoting the so-called Caucasian race, consisting, or said to consist, of Jews, Greeks, Circassians, Scotchmen, ancient Romans, and other heterogeneous elements.

In his paper on the Mongolian Affinities of the Caucasians, published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1853) Mr. Hodgson has both confirmed and developed the doctrine here indicated—his data on the side of Caucasus being those of the Asia Polyglotta, but those on the side of Tibet and China being vastly augmented; and that, to a great extent, through his own efforts and researches.

Upon the evidence of Mr. Hodgson I lay more than ordinary value; not merely on the strength of his acumen and acquirements in general, but from the fact of his ex-professo studies as a naturalist leading him to over-value rather than under-value those differences of physical conformation that (to take extreme forms) contrast the Georgian and Circassian noble with the Chinese; or Tibetan labourer. Nevertheless, his evidence is decided.

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