やり い-form conjunction vs て-form conjunction

Question

From Assimil's "Japanese With Ease" volume 2, lesson 72, sentence 10.

その上【うえ】一人【ひとり】で起【お】き上【あ】がれないから,そのたんびに起【お】こしてやり,半【はん】日【にち】かかって,やっとひとつの山【やま】から降【お】りられた。

その上【うえ】一人【ひとり】で起【お】き上【あ】がれないから, Furthermore since he couldn't stand up alone

そのたんびに起【お】こしてやり,I had to help him up each time

半【はん】日【にち】かかって,it took half a day

やっとひとつの山【やま】から降【お】りられた。to finally be able to descend from the mountain once

,そのたんびに起【お】こしてやり,

I don't understand why it is 起【お】こしてやりand not 起【お】こしてやって.

1.)Wikipedia says the i-form can be used in conjunctions in formal writing. I assume that this is happening here, am I assuming correctly?

1.a) If not, what is happening here?

2.) Could 起【お】こしてやって, be used instead?

2.a)If not, why?

2.b)If so, how would it change the feeling/meaning of the sentence?

Answer 1

1. Yes, you're right. For more about the use of 連用形 as a conjunction, see:

   • Is there a term for using conjugating verbs such that the sentence continues with another clause?
   • Removal of て in Japanese novels

2. Yes, you can rephrase the 起こしてやり as 起こしてやって in your example.
   It doesn't change the semantic meaning. 起こしてやって would be a little less formal/literary than 起こしてやり.