VOWEL ALTERNATION IN THE STEMS OF UDMURT PERSONAL PRONOUNS SINGULARIA TANTUM

Personal pronouns are an ancient and closed class of words that retain archaic elements, which belong to different periods of language development. Personal pronouns of the Udmurt language are no exception. A characteristic feature is the alternation of vowels at the base of the pronouns singularia tantum. Traditionally, it is believed that there are two alternatives in the pronominal paradigm: mon- ~ m2n-, ton- ~ t2n-. Indeed, in most dialects there is just such an alternation. Finno-Ugric scholars suggest that the 2-variant of the basis of indirect cases may be a form of the primary accusative or the dual number. The variant of the base on o arose after the fall of the final vowel base. However, a three-term alternation was noted in the middle dialects: mon- ~ m2n- ~ mцn-, ton- ~ t2n- ~ tцn-. The forms with the ö-pronunciation are recorded in the published texts and studies of foreign scientists of the XIX century – T. G. Aminoff, B. Munkácsi – and domestic dialectologists of the XX century, as well as the field materials of the author. The variant of the base on ц is probably an earlier one, since it naturally alternates with the base of Komi pronouns on е.