Hungarian Historical Phonology gyalu

(dial.) evet 'squirrel; Eichhorn'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

1215 Ewetes (see EWUng)

Important dialectal forms

[coming]

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

?

Disputed:

UEW: PUg *jȣrɜ 'iron scraper, plane (instrument); scrape (vt), plane, dress; Schabeisen, Hobel; schaben, hobeln'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Improbable (phonologically irregular)

Loan etymology

Hu ← Turkic *ǰïlaγ, cf. Tatar, Bashkir, Siberian Tatar yïškï 'plane' (see UEW, WOT: 1231)

Cognates suggested in earlier research

UEW:

Mansi: South (TJ) jar 'Schabeisen', jark- 'schaben, hobeln, schnitzen', East (KU) jar 'Schabeisen', jarγ- 'schaben, hobeln, schnitzen', West (P) jarə 'Schabeisen', jarr- 'schaben, hobeln, schnitzen', North (So) jor 'Schabeisen', jorγ- 'schaben, hobeln, schnitzen'

Commentary

UEW lists *jȣrɜ among the uncertain Proto-Ugric etymologies, as the relationship of Hungarian gyalu and Mansi TJ jar, jark- etc. is completely irregular. There are very few examples of Uralic/Ugric *j being reflected as gy in Hungarian, and Hungarian l from Ugric *r would be irregular. It is difficult to determine whether r in Hungarian dialectal gyarol- 'holben' reflects the original r that later became l.

UEW mentions that a Turkic etymology (originally suggested by Németh 1965: 55–60) for the Hungarian word is more probable. However, WOT (1231) does not accept the Turkic etymology, as the assumed original *ǰïlaγ is entirely hypothetical (based on the verbal root yïš- 'to rub, scrape off' attested in forms like Tatar yïškï 'plane').

As both the Ugric and Turkic etymologies involve various problems, the origin of Hungarian gyalu remains uncertain.

Conclusion

Hungarian gyalu is of uncertain origin, as both Ugric and Turkic explanations are problematic.

References

EWUng 342-343, s.v. gyalu: possibly PUg, not ← Turkic

Németh 1965: 55–60: ← Turkic

UEW s.v. jȣrɜ: ? Proto-Ugric Uralonet

WOT: 1231: not ← Turkic