Hungarian Historical Phonology iafia

iafia (dial.) 'seine (ihre) Kinder, seine (ihre) Angehörigen'

First attestation/Old Hungarian data

[coming]

Important dialectal forms

ijafia (see UEW)

Uralic/Ugric/Pre-Hungarian reconstruction

(Disputed:)

UEW: ? PUg *äkɜ, *äγɜ, *äwɜ 'daughter, girl; Tochter, Mädchen'

Status of the Ugric etymology

Improbable (phonologically irregular)

Loan etymology

None suggested

Cognates suggested in earlier research

UEW:

Khanty: East (V) öγi, South (DN) ewə, North (O) ewi 'Mädchen, Tochtrt' < ? PKh *äγi

Mansi: South (TJ) äw, East (KM) ɔ̈̄, West (P) ā, North (So) āγi, 'Mädchen, Tochter' < ? PMs *ǟγi

Commentary

UEW considers the etymology uncertain, noting that Hungarian i does not regularly correspond to the vocalism of the Khanty and Mansi cognates. In the light of this, the etymology should be doubted, and it is possible that Hungarian i- has nothing to do with the Khanty and Mansi words. UEW reconstructs Proto-Ugric *ä, but only the Mansi cognates clearly point to *ä (Proto-Khanty *ä would be irregular), so even the Ob-Ugric forms are not regular cognates. It is difficult to assess the etymology of the Hungarian element i in detail as it is found only in the compound iafia.

EWUng (597, s.v. iafia) considers the Ugric etymology possible but also mentions the possibility that iafia is a "Spielerische WSchöpfung" derived from fia.

Conclusion

The Ugric etymology is unlikely due to both phonological difficulties.

References

EWUng: 597, s.v. iafia: ? PUg

Honti 1982: 123: POUg

UEW s.v. äkɜ, äγɜ, äwɜ: ? PUg Uralonet