/hul(l)iya-(i)/, hu-li-ia-
‘to smite, contest (?)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 1223
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/hul(l)iya-(i)/, hu-li-ia-
‘to smite, contest (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme occurs twice in the HLuw. corpus, once on the Ankara Silver Bowl, whose origin, find spot, and archaeological context are unknown. Its dating has seen considerable debate among scholars (cf. Hawkins 2005a:194, 200 and Payne 2015a:84-98 with references) and it is tentatively dated to the 12th century BCE, although further evidence may result in a revised and very likely later dating. The other attestation originates from an inscription from Tabal, dating to the late 8th century BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| 3sg. pres. ind. act. | /hul(l)iyaya/ | hu-li-ia-ia | GEMEREK, §2 (Tabal) |
| 3sg. pret. ind. act. | /hul(l)ayatta/ | hu-la-i(a)-tá | ANKARA 2, §2 |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of this lexeme is tentative and relies largely on the putative Hittite cognate ḫulla/e- (or ḫulliye/a-(mi)) ‘to strike, smite; to contest; to defeat’ (see Akdoğan & Hawkins 2011a:314).The Hittite corpus holds evidence for a larger word family around the verb, see HW2 Ḫ:685-689, 696-700. The orthographic evidence from the older of the two attestations, i.e. ANKARA, §2, suggests the presence of a stem allomorphy with a full grade /-aya-/ instead of /-iya-/.
Any relation to CLuw. ḫūliya- ‘wool (?)’ (CLL:72) and its cognates in Hittite is unlikely, cf. already HEG A-H:278, although the HLuw. spelling conventions prevent a clear differentiation.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning for this verb was first assigned by Hawkins 2005a:197, and the etymologically based meaning ‘to strike, smite’ fits perfectly the context of ANKARA 2, §2. In the GEMEREK inscription, Akdoğan & Hawkins 2011a:314 note that the same meaning is entirely possible, but the context of attestation is too fragmented to provide much support.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The ending of the attested form in GEMEREK, §2 strongly suggests that the verb is a deradical formation in /-iya-(i)/, see Sasseville 2021a:401-405.
[AH.B.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction
If the semantic assignment of HLuw. /hul(l)iya-(i)/ ‘to smite, contest (?)’ is correct, an etymological connection with Hitt. ḫulle/a-(mi) appears convincing (Akdoğan & Hawkins 2011a:314). The two attestations in Hieroglyphic Luwian seem to speak for two different verbal stems: Whereas hu-li-ia-ia reflects a stem in /-iya-(i)/, hu-la-i(a)-tá seems to belong to a stem in /-(a)i-(di)/ (< *-éi̯e/o-), although a plural form would be contextually problematic. The Hittite verb likewise attests various stem formations, i.e. ḫulle/a-(mi), ḫulliye/a-(mi) and ḫulla-/ḫull-(ḫi); cf. Oettinger 1979a:261-264, EDHIL:358-360 (see also Pal. ḫull-). The geminate -ll- has been taken as the product of assimilation between root-final -l- and the -n- of the nasal suffix (Melchert 1994a:65f., Oettinger 2002b:xx). However, the uncertainty concerning the Luwian attestations, i.e. the semantics and the exact stem formation, makes a Proto-Anatolian root and stem assignment based on the Luwian perspective very tentative, whence we will refrain here from providing a Proto-Anatolian reconstruction. For a similar Luwic root of possibly different semantics, see Lyc. A xul-(ti).
[D.S.]