It has been suggested that it may be derived from *yalïg (itself possibly derived from an unattested *yal-(“to lick”))[1] if its earliest meaning was "tongue", compare Karakhanid [script needed] (yalığ, “a cock's comb; mane”)[2].
↑ 1.01.11.2Doerfer, Gerhard (1975) Türkische und mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen [Turkic and Mongolian Elements in New Persian] (Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur: Veröffentlichungen der Orientalischen Kommission; 21)[1] (in German), volume IV, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, § 1881, pages 186-187
^ Nugteren, Hans (2011) Mongolic phonology and the Qinghai-Gansu languages (dissertation)[2], Utrecht: LOT, page 317
^ Sanžejev, G. D., Orlovskaja, M. N., Ševernina, Z. V. (2015) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ mongolʹskix jazykov: v 3 t. [Etymological dictionary of Mongolic languages: in 3 vols.] (in Russian), volume I, Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, page 189
Clauson, Gerard (1972) “yalğa:-”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 926
Räsänen, Martti (1969) Versuch eines etymologischen Wörterbuchs der Türksprachen (in German), Helsinki: Suomalais-ugrilainen seura, page 182
Sevortjan, E. V., Levitskaja, L. S. (1989) Etimologičeskij slovarʹ tjurkskix jazykov [Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages] (in Russian), volume IV, Moscow: Nauka, pages 87-89
Starostin, Sergei, Dybo, Anna, Mudrak, Oleg (2003) “*jālga-”, in Etymological dictionary of the Altaic languages (Handbuch der Orientalistik; VIII.8)[3], Leiden, New York, Köln: E.J. Brill