Comments:KW 6, EAS 140, Poppe 75, Doerfer MT 239 (attempts to disprove the etymology in TMN 2, 122 are futile). The reason for close *ạ in PT is unclear (*al- would be normally expected). Note, however, that the Jpn. reflex represents loss of *-l- in a verbal stem, thus strongly suggesting an original monosyllabic form *ál (cf. *gĕ̀le, {*si̯óle}).
Comments:A Mong.-Jpn. isogloss. See АПиПЯЯ 278. Man. alxun 'step', alkūn 'the gait of a horse or other livestock' is no doubt borrowed from Mongolian (see Rozycki 16-17). The Jpn.-Mong. comparison seems to us preferable to other etymologies of the Mongolian form (see ОСНЯ 3,66-70; Poppe 96, KW 7 - Mong. alqu-: Turk. *āĺ-). The stem can be possibly derived from a root reflected in Mong. *ala 'inner side of thigh' (L 26; Poppe 75; pl. alas, whence Evk. alas, see Doerfer MT 94; hence also WMong. alčaji-, Khalkha alcaj- 'to spread the legs', Dag. alčī- id., WMong. alčaɣar, alčaŋ, Khalkha alcan 'bowlegged'; but to be distinguished is *ale 'below' q. v.).
Comments:Ozawa 38-40, АПиПЯЯ 16, 71, Rozycki 18-19. Despite Doerfer MT 111, TM forms are hardly < Mong. (because of a semantic difference). A possible parallel in Turkic could be *adɨ[ĺ] > OT adɨt 'handful', Kirgh. adɨš, Yak. ɨtɨs 'palm' (VEWT 7, ЭСТЯ 1, 100-101, 410, Лексика 252, Stachowski 263), but there are some phonetic and semantic problems. Note, however, that OJ ata also denotes a small measure of length (8 sun, or about 12 centimetres) - rather a span than a fathom. Such a semantic development may presuppose an earlier usage of *alda in constructions like 'big fathom' - 'small fathom' ( = 'span') both in Turkic and Japanese.
Comments:EAS 140, 154, SKE 7 (Mong.-Kor.-Tung.), АПиПЯЯ 282; closed *ẹ in PT may be explained by a secondary narrowing in a disyllable *eĺ-it- > *ẹĺ-it- (cf. *er-kek > *ẹr-kek etc.).
Comments:In Turk. and Mong. the stem is associated with the reflexes of *ā́lV 'variegated' (q. v.), which is most probably a folk etymology. In Japanese the meaning 'dolphin' must be a secondary transformation of 'otter-like animal' (cf. the meaning 'otter' in TM).
Comments:Martin 233, АПиПЯЯ 103, 277. Kor. has lost the initial vowel, as in many other cases (*mɨ̀- < *ǝ̀mɨ̀-). Rozycki 17 supposes Man. > Mong. which is not excluded.
Comments:Ozawa 312-313, ТМС 1, 43. An interesting common Altaic cultural term. The TM forms could be < Mong. (see Rozycki 19), but the absence of -su(n) (universally present in the Mong. form) suggests rather their genuine nature.
Comments:EAS 116, 140, Poppe 68, Колесникова 1972а, 73-77, Martin 248, АПиПЯЯ 46-47, 70, 291, Rozycki 18. A common Altaic root with old derivatives meaning 'taste': *ámo-sa- > Turk. *umsa-, Mong. *amsa-, Kor. *más; *ámo-t`a > Mong. *amta, TM *amta-, Jpn. *ántí. The deriving root itself, with its basic meaning 'mouth', could probably also designate 'to taste' in predicative function (cf. the suffixless Jpn. *ámá- 'tasty, sweet' and PT *um- (*'to taste, have a taste for' > 'to hope'). Despite Doerfer MT 19, TM *amŋa 'mouth' cannot have anything in common with Mong. *haŋga 'crack, hole' (on this form see under *àŋa and *p`éŋi).
