ABSTRACT

The Concept of Proto-language A proto-Ianguage is a reconstructed language. It is neither intended to be identical with the spoken language of a given period, nor to be a selfcontained description of it. It is rather a model in the fonn of a set of hypotheses. If the supposed features existed in the reconstructed language, features of known languages can be deduced by assuming relatively simple regular historical changes, which can be described as dominant tendencies and in tenns of regular correspondences. The proto-Ianguage is a fonnula which helps understand the differences of the later varieties of a language. On the other hand, it can itself only be reached by analysis and comparison of later documented languages. An older proto-Ianguage such as ProtoTurkic can be helpful in reconstructing a more recent one such as ProtoKipchak. But Proto-Turkic can only be reconstructed by taking the Kipchak languages, thus also Proto-Kipchak, into consideration. The reconstruction is a two-way traffic, going from existing languages to the proto-Ianguage and back again.