word question

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Valentino, Russell wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
> 
> I just came across the word "kochma" in a Russian language poem by a
> Central Asian author. When I couldn't find the word in any of my
> usual sources, I asked a Central Asianist colleague, who told me that
> the Uzbek word ko'chma means "itinerant" and is used in a derogatory
> way to refer to people who move from place to place, like nomads or
> gypsies.
> 
> But as that's in Uzbek and this is in Russian, I'm wondering if the
> connotations are the same. Has anyone else come across this word?
> 
> Thanks in advance.

FWIW, Azerbayjani has a verb көчмәк (köçmäk), where мәк/мақ (mäk/maq) is 
a suffix that makes verbs (the suffix harmonizes with the frontness or 
backness of the stem vowel). The abbreviated suffix мә/ма (mä/ma) forms 
corresponding deverbal nouns -- көчмә (köçmä) -- similar to Russian 
-ание/-ение: переселять => переселение. This looks like a good candidate 
for the source of the Russian word.

Көчмәк is defined in my Azerbayjani-Russian dictionary as "кочевать, 
перекочевать, переселяться, переезжать." The bare stem көч (köç) is a 
noun, defined as "1) переселение, кочевье; 2) табор." In the Azerbayjani 
Latin alphabet, "ç" is a voiceless palatal affricate as in Turkish, 
about like Russian ч, and q is a uvular stop. The vowels ö and ä are 
fronted versions of the corresponding unmarked vowels, about like German 
ö and English "a" as in "hat."

Sorry, can't say what value judgments are placed on nomadic activity by 
the two cultures.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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