PHONETIC CHANGE OF VOWELS ON THE 12-16TH CENTURY ARMENIAN LITHIC INSCRIPTIONS

Abstract

Having studied the words on the lithic inscriptions of the 12th-16th centuries that underwent phonetic changes, which are recently noticed expressions and were not investigated by the researchers of the previous period, we noticed that on the one hand they are characteristic neither to the Middle Armenian literature, nor to the lithic inscriptions. On the other hand they can be considered as limitations or omissions in their specific field of application. They have undergone phonetic changes not only in proper, but also in common names.

 It becomes clear from the study that the vowels of old Armenian (ա, ո, ե, է, ի, ու) have been phonetically changed in the protocols due to the penetration of the folk language, the interaction of other languages and the peculiarities of the recorders' perception of some linguistic realities.

Thus, the vowel A (Ա) has undergone a phonetic change in the word forms Sevade/ Սևադէ (Artsakh), Rak(el)/ Ռաք(ել)ին (Arakel- personal name), Kravnuoratsn/ կրաւնուորացն (Ukraine region), Shnofor, tpans/ Շնոֆոր, տպանս (Russia), Mchrkadzoro/ Մճռկածորո (Vayots Dzor); Takrpetoc/ տակռպետոց (Lori); Vowel O (Ո) in the word-forms of Katughikes, Evasap/ կաթուղիկէս (Lori), Tsnughac/ծնուղաց (Arcakh); Evasap/ Էւասափ (Lori) the vowel E (Ե) in the word-forms Goharmliks/ Գոհարմլիքս, Baraykendanin/ Բարայկենդանին (Lori); the vowel E (Է) in the word-forms Varvarin/ Վառվառին (Ukraine), Andrias/ Անդրիաս (Goris); the vowel U (Ու) in the word-form yinvarin/ յինվարին (Ukraine) and hejips/ հեճիպս (Lori); and the vowel U (Ու) in the word-form Bardaghemosi/ Բարդաղէմոսի (Lori).

The mentioned word forms are characteristic neither to lithic inscriptions, nor to Middle Armenian, because on lithic inscriptions they have either a local or a temporal limitation. Judging by the examples preserved on the stone inscriptions, the vowels were changed in colloquial expressions or are the result of omission by the recorder (inscriber).