Reconstruction:Proto-Yeniseian/xum

• *VmV-, *VŋxV- (per Werner 2002; '...die Rekonstruktion ist fraglich.')
• *ʔVmV, *xVmV (per Starostin 2005)
• *Hum- (per Cologne group 2024. Pattern: ?-m.1)
• *wum-, *gwum- (per Bonnman-Fries 2025)

A tentative reconstruction, though impeccable from a sound correspondence standpoint (Ketic & Kottic Ø- corresponding to Arin k-.)^[1] Which forms are loanwords from Turkic and which are genuine Yeniseian reflexes is quite hard to pinpoint, but Bonnman-Fries (2025) assume Arin to be a genuine reflex based on the correspondence, and reconstruct a tentative root *u̯um- [*wum-], which is adopted here.

Ketic and Assan forms are traditionally explained as borrowings from Russian о́лово (ólovo, “tin”), while the other Yeniseian words for 'silver' are usually explained as loanwords from Siberian Turkic *kümiš. Indeed, if these are to be assumed instead of the following, there's no need for a reconstructed Proto-Yeniseian *xum-. However, Assan ɨmajti (“brass”) would go unexplained in this case.

A more recent explanation by Bonnman-Fries (2025) however sees the Yeniseian forms as the progenitor to Turkic forms, where they would be loaned into Turkic around the time of the Xiōngnú Confederacy, where an Arin-type language is supposed to be the language of the elite, or at least the ruling class, based on hydronyms, toponyms, Hunnic given names and other vocabulary being passed on to Turkic and Mongolic languages.

Their explanation follows that their list of Turkic borrowings lack any explainable internal nor external etymologies, and traditional accounts of Turkic being from unattested Middle Chinese *金鐐 (kˠiɪmleu) is very unlikely. The Chinese compound, according to Rybatzki (1994), would mean "wealth"^[2], for instance.

Antonov-Jacques (2011) also find Turkic traditional internal or external explanations for *kümüš unlikely, and add, quoted verbatim: "We have no way to determine which of these three hypotheses (referring to internal, external and Wanderwort hypotheses) is the correct one, though the first one seems considerably less likely. The etymon for 'silver' is not derivable in a straightforward manner from any known verbal or nominal root in either Turkic, Sino-Tibetan or Austroasiatic."^[3] They also add: "Since no internal etymology for the word 'silver' is available in either [of the languages, all] borrowing scenarios are equally possible, as is the possibility of both [Sino-Tibetan] and Turkic having borrowed the word from an unknown language."

The meaning 'tin' is most likely secondary, and may reflect the cyclical renewal of diminutive/derivative suffixes in Ket. This would also be the case for Assan, with compounding instead. Arin word is either a compound or a suffixed form, though if it is a suffix, it did not survived to us in any other quality. More research needs to be done over this reconstruction.

*xum (plural unknown)

1. (metallurgy) a kind of whitish or greyish metal; silver^?

• Ketic:
  • Imbak Ket: umel (Eed-Šeš dialect)
  • Imbak Ket: úmula
    • Ket: умля (umlʲa, “tin”), умоля (umɔlʲa)
  • Ostyak Yug: ûmola
    • Yug: умола (umola), уумола (uːmola, “tin”)
• Kottic:
  • ⇒ Assan: ɨmatɨp (“tin”) (cf. Assan tip (“iron”))
  • ⇒ Assan: ɨmajti (“brass”)
• Arinic:
  • ⇒ Arin: kumɨš (“silver”)
  • ⇒ Arin: komɨšok (“silver”)
  • →? Proto-Turkic: *kümüĺ (/⁠*kümüɬ⁠/, “silver”)^[4]
    • Chuvash: кӗмӗл (kĕmĕl)
    • Proto-Common Turkic: *kümüš
      • Kottic: (reborrowing from Turkic)
        • → Assan: kumuš (“silver, money”), kumɨš (“silver”)
        • → Kott: kumis (“silver”)
          • ⇒ Kott: uš-kumɨ́š (“kopek, coin”)
      • Pumpokolic: (reborrowing from Turkic)
        • → Pumpokol: kümmütsch (“gold”)

• Antonov, Anton, Jacques, Guillaume (2011) “Turkic kümüš ’silver’ and the lambdaism vs sigmatism debate”, in Turkic languages‎^[2], volume 15, number 2, page 7-21 of 151-170
• Bonmann, Svenja, Fries, Simon (2025) “Linguistic Evidence Suggests That Xiōng-nú and Huns Spoke the Same Paleo-Siberian Language”, in Transactions of the Philological Society‎^[3], volume 0, →DOI, page 11-12 of 1-24
• Hill, Eugen, Fries, Simon, Korobzow, Natalie, Günther, Laura, Svenja, Bonmann (2024) “Coda-m.1”, in “Towards a New Reconstruction of the Proto-Yeniseian Sound System. Part II: Word-Final Consonants”, in International Journal of Eurasian Linguistics‎^[4], number 6, Brill, →DOI, →ISSN, page 279 of 216-293
• Vajda, Edward, Werner, Heinrich (2022) “kumɯš”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 427
• Vajda, Edward, Werner, Heinrich (2022) “umla/umɔla”, in Comparative-Historical Yeniseian Dictionary (Languages of the World/Dictionaries; 79, 80), Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 1002
• Werner, Heinrich (2002) “uml'a/umɔl'a, kumɨš”, in Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 346, 450-451
• Werner, Heinrich (2005) “silver, tin”, in Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 321, 329