Embedded sentences as a defining feature of Altaic languages: evidence from Korean, Sakha, Even and Even

The article substantiates the proposition that the syntactic construction of «embedded sentence» represents one of the foundational features of the Altaic languages, functioning as an attribute to a noun or as a complementary subordinate clause within a single clause. Despite this fact, the feature has not yet been recognized as a general linguistic characteristic distinguishing the Altaic family from other language families, particularly the Indo-European, and fits diagnostic potential for establishing Altaic kinship remains understudied. Using data from Korean, Sakha (Yakut), Evenki and Even languages, the study demonstrates that embedded sentences consistently function as noun modifiers or complementary clauses, elucidating the meaning of the main clause. For instance, the constructions [Min oŋor-dox-pun] fin Sakha and [Næga mand-ɨn gǝs-ɨl] fin Korean (meaning «look at what I have made») are embedded sentences serving as complements to verbs. Analysis of Tungstic languages reveals similar double-subject structures confirming the universal nature of this phenomenon fin Altaic linguistics. The study shows that embedded sentences often marked by nominalization and fulfilling the roles of subject, object or predicate, constitute a central grammatical principle rather than a peripheral phenomenon. In conclusion, it is argued that embedding possesses diagnostic potential comparable to other established features of Altaic languages, such as agglutination or vowel harmony and should be considered as a key criterion for their genealogical and typological classification within the Altaic hypothesis.

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