Hungarian Historical Phonology emel

emel 'raise; heben'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

1372 felemeluen Feskekorongya (see EWUNg)

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

Pre-Hu *ämV-

(Disputed:)

UEW: PFU *älɜ- ‘raise, carry; heben, tragen‘

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

UEW:

Khanty: East (V) äl- 'tragen', äləm- 'heben', South (DN) ȧtəm- 'heben', North (O) ȧl- 'tragen in der Hand auf den Händen tragen', ȧləm 'heben'

Mansi: South (TJ) älm- 'heben, tragen', East (KU) ɔ̈̄lm- 'heben, tragen', West (P) ālm- 'heben, tragen', North (So) ālm- 'heben, tragen'

Samoyed: Tundra Nenets jilā- 'heben'

See UEW for the rest of the Samoyed forms Uralonet

Commentary

The idea that Hungarian emel is an inherited Uralic or Ugric word rests on the assumption that the form emel results from metathezis of the stem *älV-mV- (the idea of a metathezis is mentioned by EWUng, MSzFe and UEW). This would be a Pre-Hungarian derivative of PU or PUg *älV-, reconstructed by UEW and MSzFE. UEW considers Hungarian elem possible inheritance from PU; the same is stated by EWUng. MSzFe considers the Samoyed cognates uncertain and assumes a possible Ugric origin. Abondolo (1996: 89) notes problems with the Samoyed words (unexplained preservation of *l and the second-syllable vocalism). Although UEW does not consider the Samoyed cognates uncertain, it is quite clear that they cannot reflect PU *ä-: Janhunen (1977: 26) reconstructs the Proto-Samoyed word as *ilə̑- ~ *jilə̑-, and PS *i does not correspond regularly to Hungarian e or the vocalism of the Ob-Ugric forms listed here. The Ob-Ugric words are regular cognates, both pointing to Proto-Ugric or Proto-Uralic *ä.

It is clear that the Uralic background of the Hungarian word should be rejected. The Ugric etymology is also quite hypothetical, as there is no way to prove that the Hungarian word indeed results from metathezis. One could also assume that em- results from simplification of the cluster *lm, as in some Uralic nouns like Hu szëm 'eye' < PU *śilmä: this possibility is noted by Abondolo (1996: 89). However, the conditions for the change m < *lm are not known (many cases of PU *lm show retained l in Hungarian, for example nyelv 'tongue' < *ńälmä), so also this possibility remains speculative.

Conclusion

The Uralic etymology should be rejected, and the Ugric background of Hungarian emel remains uncertain due to speculative developments.

References

Abondolo 1996: 89: PU?

EWUng: 319, s.v. emel: PU

MSzFE: 152-153, s.v. emel: PU or PUg

UEW s.v. älɜ-: PU Uralonet