톳기

Middle Korean

Etymology

Traditionally interpreted as Sino-Korean 兎(토〮) (THWÓ, “rabbit”) + unknown elements /-s-ki/, but this is somewhat dubious given it cannot provide any clear source for the second syllable.

More likely, the word seems to be an early Tungusic borrowing, ultimately from Proto-Tungusic *tuksakī (“hare”).^[1] A very close match to the Tungusic is found in the dialectal *투ᄭᅵ〮 (*thwùskí), attested in the place name 투ᄭᅵᆺ〮골〯 (Thwùskí-s-kwǒl, “rabbit valley”). Compare Oroqen tʊkʃakɪ (“rabbit”). The first syllable was probably then conflated with 兎(토〮) (THWÓ), leading to this form. Note also that the high tone of 토〮 in this form matches the expected Sino-Korean reading, whereas the tonal pattern of *투ᄭᅵ〮 (*thwùskí) is more prototypical of a Tungusic or Mongolic loan.^[2]

Pronunciation

(Morphophonemic) IPA^(key): ⫽tʰóski⫽

Noun

톳〮기 (thwóskì) (genitive 톳〮긔 or 톳〮ᄀᆡ)

hare
- 1463, 법화경언해 [beophwagyeong'eonhae], volume 2, page 108b:
  鵰(됴ᇢ)ᄂᆞᆫ〮 톳〮기 잘 잡 고〮鷲(쮸ᇢ〮)ᄂᆞᆫ〮 주거〮믈〮 먹 ᄂᆞ니〮盜(또ᇢ〮)貪(탐)이 ᄀᆞᆺ 고〮
  TYWÒW-nón thwóskì càl càp-kwó CCYWÚW-nón cwùkém-úl mèk-nòní TTWÓW.THÀM-ì kòs-kwó
  Eagles are good at hunting hares and vultures eat the carcass, thus is the greed of thievery

References

^ Vovin, Alexander (2003) “Etymological Notes on Some Paleosiberian and Tungusic Loanwords in Korean”, in Proceedings of the Center for Korean Language and Culture‎^[1], numbers 5—6, St. Petersburg, Russia, pages 57—60
^ 곽충구 (2017) “동북방언에 잔존한 만주퉁구스어와 몽골어 차용어 [The Manch-tungus and Mongolian Loan-words in the Northeastern Dialect of Korean]”, in 국어학 (in Korean), number 84, 국어학회, →DOI, pages 3-32

[1] Vovin, Alexander (2003) “Etymological Notes on Some Paleosiberian and Tungusic Loanwords in Korean”, in Proceedings of the Center for Korean Language and Culture‎^[1], numbers 5—6, St. Petersburg, Russia, pages 57—60

[2] 곽충구 (2017) “동북방언에 잔존한 만주퉁구스어와 몽골어 차용어 [The Manch-tungus and Mongolian Loan-words in the Northeastern Dialect of Korean]”, in 국어학 (in Korean), number 84, 국어학회, →DOI, pages 3-32

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