Bazhenova О.N., Normanskaya Yu.V. A Contrastive Analysis of the Vocabulary of the Izhma Dialect of the Komi-Zyryan Language (Based on Materials from M. A. Castrén’s Dictionary and Modern Audio Documentation)

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Original article

https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.017.2025.04.412-429
https://elibrary.ru/tfdmgg
УДК / UDC 811.512.132’282

A Contrastive Analysis of the Vocabulary of the Izhma Dialect of the Komi-Zyryan Language (Based on Materials from M. A. Castrén’s Dictionary and Modern Audio Documentation)

О. N. Bazhenova
Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

Yu. V. Normanskaya
Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, there is no verified basis for assessing the accuracy of early field recordings of the Izhma dialect of the Komi-Zyrian language or for determining the facts of phonetic changes that have actually occurred in the dialect over a nearly two-hundred-year period. Despite the existence of individual descriptions, the scientific literature on the Izhma dialect of the Komi language lacks systematic research based on a direct comparison of historical material with digital audio recordings, which provide more accurate documentation of speech parameters. A gap remains in understanding the dynamics of dialectal vocalism and consonantism, as well as the mechanisms of their evolution. This article seeks to fill this lacuna by integrating sources from different periods into a unified digital format, LingvoDoc, and creating a methodological foundation for future historical-phonetic reconstructions. The aim of the study is to identify phonetic correspondences and describe processes that may indicate both the preservation of archaic features and the gradual formation of new tendencies in the development of the dialect.

Materials and Methods. The research material comprised M. A. Castrén’s dictionary, presented in the book “Elementa grammatices Syrjaenae” (1844; critical edition 2022) – 1,146 lexical units, and the audio dictionary of the dialect of the village of Beloyarsk, Priuralsky District, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (2012) – 1,455 lexical entries, including phonological transcription and audio recordings. The comparison was carried out using the LingvoDoc digital platform, employing the tools “Inventory of Phonemes/Allophones,” “Spectrogram Analysis Results,” “Search for Cognates in Different Dialects of One Language,” and “Cognate Analysis”. The analysis was conducted in stages: first, regular correspondences between the 19th and 21st-century data were identified, followed by the clarification of positional patterns.

Results and Discussion. A comparison of the data from the experimental-phonetic analysis of the modern Beloyarsk dialect with the materials from M. A. Castren’s dictionary demonstrates the high accuracy of his documentation. Thus, the double vowel graphemes recorded by Castren, although not always corresponding to distinct phonemes in the modern dialect, in most cases correspond to longer vocalic realizations. Of particular interest is the grapheme ä: previously, it could have been considered an irregular notation with no direct parallels either in Proto-Komi or in modern dialects; however, the analysis has shown that its usage followed positional rules. The study also established the approximate timeframe for the development of labial harmony in the Izhem dialect (late 20th – early 21st century). Alongside general trends characteristic of many Komi-Zyrian dialects, specifically Izhem innovations such as ӧ > ɒ have been identified. The modern consonant inventory is supplemented by peripheral sounds [f], [x], [ɣ], found primarily in borrowed vocabulary.

Conclusion. A comparison of M. A. Castren’s dictionary with contemporary audio material of the Beloyarsk village dialect allows us to speak of regular phonetic correspondences and generally consistent directions of change in the vocalism and consonantism of the Izhma dialect. The integration of instrumental analysis using Praat and the digital environment LingvoDoc has proven effective for verifying historical recordings and clarifying positional patterns. The obtained results establish a foundation for further comparative studies within the area of Komi-Zyrian dialects and for a more detailed interpretation of the observed processes.

Keywords: Ižma dialect, Komi-Zyryan language, phonetic correspondences, vocalism, consonantism, M. A. Castrén’s dictionary, audio dictionary, LingvoDoc, diachrony

Funding: The research was funded by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 25-78-20002 “Capabilities of Artificial Intelligence for Comparative-Historical Study of Low-Resource Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation”.

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

For citation: Bazhenova О.N., Normanskaya Yu.V. A Contrastive Analysis of the Vocabulary of the Izhma Dialect of the Komi-Zyryan Language (Based on Materials from M. A. Castrén’s Dictionary and Modern Audio Documentation). Finno–Ugric World. 2025;17(4):412–429. https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.017.2025.04.412-429

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Information about the authors:

Olga N. Bazhenova, Cand.Sci. (Philol.), Research Fellow of the Laboratory “Linguistic Platforms”, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25 Aleksandra Solzhenitsyna St., Moscow 109004, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5666-2260, SPIN-code: 9727-6031, bazhenova-olga2011@mail.ru

Yuliya V. Normanskaya, Dr.Sci. (Philol.), Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Laboratory “Linguistic Platforms”, Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences (25 Aleksandra Solzhenitsyna St., Moscow 109004, Russian Federation), Leading Research Fellow of the Department of Ural-Altaic Languages, Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (bld 1, 1 Bolshoy Kislovsky Lane, Moscow 125009, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2769-9187, SPIN-code: 2598-4190, julianor@mail.ru

Authors’ contribution:

O. N. Bazhenova – preparation and creation of the published work, specifically writing the initial draft (including substantive translation); ideas; formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims; verification, whether as a part of the activity or separate, of the reproducibility of results and other research outputs and other research outputs.

Yu. V. Normanskaya – oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity planning and execution, including mentorship external to the core team; verification, whether as a part of the activity or separate, of the reproducibility of results and other research outputs and other research outputs.

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 17.08.2025; revised 13.10.2025; accepted 17.10.2025.

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