Verbal vocabulary of foraging in the languages of the Altai-Sayan region

This study investigates the semantics, distribution, and origins of verbs related to foraging. This analysis focuses on three Turkic languages from the Altai-Sayan region: Altai, Chalkan, and Khakass. A total of 100 verbs were analyzed, with 48 exhibiting cognates across the languages under investigation. Given the multifaceted nature of foraging, its lexical expression exhibits significant variability. The verbs were categorized based on the foraging aspects embedded within their semantic structures, yielding several distinct groups. These groups include: (1) basic verbs with the general meaning “to gather”; (2) verbs limited by object type (individualized objects vs. uniform mass); (3) verbs specifying objects (e.g., “to gather pine nuts”), places of foraging (e.g., “to forage in taiga”), spatial disposition of the object (e.g., “laying on the ground” vs. “hanging on a bush”), or gathering methods (e.g., “plucking, uprooting, or knocking off trees”); (4) verbs indicating object quantity; and (5) verbs with foraging as a secondary context-based meaning (“to wander,” “to search”). The foraging verb systems in these languages were found to be distinct, with some cognates falling into different semantic categories. Non-derivative verbs were found to be elements of the common Turkic lexicon. However, a substantial portion of verbs follow derivational patterns unique to Siberian Turkic and non-Turkic languages. Such verbs can be derived from nouns of diverse etymologies, including native Turkic, Mongolian, and Russian loanwords, as well as Ket or unknown substrates.