KWON Hyuk-Yang. (2008). Remarks on the Etymology of MK. təwi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’. Altai Hakpo 18: 165-182. The Altaic Society of Korea.

The aim of this paper is to clarify the etymology of the MK. verb tәwi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’ and search for the possible cognates of it. First, we have examined the uses and sound changes of the MK. verb tәwi-, Pyŏngbuk dialect tәpu-thi- ‘to attack suddenly and snatch away’ and tәpәk-čil ‘attacking suddenly and snatching’ in linguistic sources. Based on the MK. verb tәwi-, Pyŏngbuk dialect tәpu-thi- and tәpәk-čil we have reconstructed the earlier forms *tәβi- and *tәpi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’. It seems to me that Pyŏngbuk dialect tәpu-thi- ‘to attack suddenly and snatch away’ and tәpәk- of tәpәk-čil ‘attacking suddenly and snatching’ might have respectively undergone the following word-formation process:

*tәpi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’ + adverbial suffix -u + thi- ‘to attack’ → tәpu-thi- ‘to attack suddenly and snatch away’

*tәpi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’ + deverbal nominal suffix -әk → tәpәk ‘attacking suddenly and snatching’

And then we have tried to find the possible cognates in the Altaic languages which may satisfy the condition of sound-correspondence and semantic congruence. Sound-correspondence and semantic congruence suggest that the possible cognates of MK. verb tәwi- ‘to clasp, clench, grasp’ are to be found in the Manchu-Tungus languages. Cognates of the MK. verb tәwi- are most probably Evenki tewe- ~ tēwē- ‘pojmatˈ, lovitˈ, shvatitˈ’, Eventew- ‘pojmatˈ, slovitˈ, shvatitˈ’, Negidal tewen- ‘pojmatˈ, slovitˈ, shvatitˈ’ and Udehe tewen-e- ‘lovitˈ’.

Keywords: comparative study, Korean, Evenki, Even, Negidal, Udehe, cognate