*(h1)assk̂ā-
‘to love’
- Language
- Proto-Luwic
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 1309
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/azza-/, á-za- / AMPLECTI-
‘to love’1.1.1Transmission
With 30 attestations in the corpus, this lemma is well-attested and can be found throughout the HLuw. period from Empire times in the 13th century BCE to the late period in the 7th century BCE. The geographical distribution is rather more narrow and concentrates around the centre in Tabal and Commagene and south-east of the HLuw. area around Karkamiš, Tell Ahmar, and Maraş.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The interpretation as /azza-/ is certain, not least because the spelling of the lexeme shows very little variation, especially considering the number of attestations and their considerable geographic and temporal range. Usually preceded by the LITUUS logogram, a depiction of a simple staff, the lexeme is always fully spelt out and invariably starts with 〈á〉, whose possible contrast with 〈a〉 and the underlying phonologies have seen much discussion (cf. e.g. Kloekhorst 2004a and Simon 2010a and Simon 2013a). Only an old inscription such as FRAKTİN leaves out the case ending even with an otherwise syllabic spelling, a common feature of the time.
In four instances, the spelling is changed entirely to much of the word being covered by the logogram AMPLECTI, which depicts two people touching each other’s face. The two spellings occur in entirely complementary distribution, i.e. texts with the (LITUUS)á-za- spelling never include a spelling with AMPLECTI and vice versa. The contexts in which the AMPLECTI spellings occur are very suggestive of an identification with /azza-/, but none truly force it. Therefore it cannot be said with absolute certainty that the two different spellings cover the same verb, although it is very likely (Gérard 2004b:306f., also for further literature).
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
Typically occurring in the introductory passages to inscriptions, /azza-/ is part of a formula frequently found in comparable phrasings in the other Anatolian and neighbouring languages: ‘beloved by god X’. The phrase usually accompanies the name of the person the inscription is about and/or one of their ancestors. In some cases, the verb is used actively in constructions such as ‘god X loved me’ vel sim. As Gérard 2004b:307-311 notes, the verb is exclusively used to express the form of love or favour a deity extends to a human, usually a high-ranking person using this expression to justify their claim to power; it is never used with a human agent. A comparable verb is not attested in the CLuw. corpus, which is very likely due to the different text genres found there.
The attestations featuring the AMPLECTI logographic spelling occur in the same contexts (but never within the same text), i.e. often together with a deity as agent, and that very much supports the view that these are two spelling variants covering one and the same verb.
Melchert 2016b:242 states that the HLuw. /massanadi azzammi-/ is semantically equivalent to the Hitt. expression šiunit kaneššant- ‘favoured by the gods’.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Despite being attested 30 times, the tokens of this verb belong to just three different finite verbal forms and to two participle forms, resulting in a dearth of evidence for the remainder of the paradigm. As such, it remains unclear which of the two conjugations the verb belongs to, because the differences show in forms not attested for this verb. The attested forms show no stem allomorphy whatsoever.
[AH.B.]
1.1.6Compounds
- /Azzattiwada-/ (PN)
- /Azzattiwadaiya-/ (GN)
1.1.7Derivatives
- /azzanu(wa)-(i)/
- /Azzammi-/ (PN)
1.2 Lycian A
asa-(ti)
‘to love’1.2.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested on the inscribed pillar of Xanthos dated shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE.
[D.S.]
1.2.2Forms
| 3sg. pres. ind. act. | asạti | TL 44b.37 (Xanthos) |
1.2.3Graphic Features
The reading of the verbal form is debated. Schmidt 1968a:Tafel VII.3 reads asẹti, whereas Kalinka 1901a:42 has asạti (followed by Friedrich 1932a:65). The presence of the -s- in asati has been doubted, e.g. a[s]ati (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:23) and the word read as a[h]ati instead (Lebrun 1990a:170), although the -s- can be clearly seen on pictures. A picture of the passage is available in the paper of Schürr 2012a:115, who transliterates correctly asạti.
[D.S.]
1.2.4Meaning
The Lycian verb asạti is equated with HLuw. /azza-/ ‘to love’ and translated accordingly by Schürr 1997b:61 (followed by DLL:6). This renders a good sense of the sentence trqqas=ppe asạti xñtawatã tuwi ‘The Storm-god loves your kingship (scil. Gergis)’, which occurs right before all the post-war dedications from the king to the Storm-god are listed. On the diverging translation of tuwi ‘your’ from Schürr ibid. see under lemma. The theme of a king and its kingship being loved by the gods is recurrent in the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions, whence this interpretation is persuasive in the Lycian passage. Differently, Yakubovich (pers. comm.) suggests an equation with HLuw. /assazza-(i)/ ‘to speak’ and translates Lyc. A asati as ‘he proclaims’. This is contextually less attractive and lacks any kind of linguistic support; cf. under Stem. For outdated hypotheses see Neumann 2007a:27.
[D.S.]
1.2.5Stem
If the reading asạti is correct, it is a denominative verb in -a-(ti) derived from a non-attested nominal base *asa-. Thus, it cannot be equated with a Luwian formation in /-zza-(i)/, which would correspond to a Lycian verb in -s-(ti) with an athematic conjugation.
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction ‘to love’
The morphological reconstruction of the HLuw. verb /azza-/ is hindered by the lack of attestation of the 2nd or 3rd person singular present, which would reveal whether the verb belongs to the mi- or ḫi-conjugation. If it belongs to the former, HLuw. /azza-/ must be a factitive verb in /-a-(ti)/ derived from a non-attested nominal base */azza-/ c. ‘love’. If it belongs to the latter, it could be interpreted as a formation in /-zza-(i)/ (< *-sk̂e/o-). Melchert 1987a:200 suggests an etymological connection between Luw. /azza-/ ‘to love’ and Hitt. āššiye/a- or āšš- (MP) ‘to be dear to’ (followed by EDHIL:215f.) and assumes for Luw. /azza-/ a formation in /-zza-(i)/ derived from the root verb */ass-/ equating Hitt. āšš-. In DLL:6, he withdraws this comparison, because the Hittite verb is intransitive, while the Luwian one is transitive.Unnecessarily complicated in Gérard 2004b:312-314. Melchert 2016b:242 advocates further against the etymology with the Hittite medio-passive āššiye/a- by equating the Hieroglyphic Luwian phrase /massanadi azzammi-/ with the Hitt. expression šiunit kaneššant- ‘favored by the gods’, which is entirely fine, but does not prove or disprove anything regarding the etymology, since it is simply a question of pragmatics. Moreover, the logogram of the LITUUS as determinative does not speak against the etymology with Hitt. āššiye/a- ‘to be dear to’. The act of looking at someone or something with admiration is entirely compatible with the act of loving and making something dear to us.
There is a way to overcome all the problems stated above. If the Lycian reading asati is correct, it must be taken as a denominative verb. Thus, Luwian /azza-/ can be taken as a direct cognate, i.e. a factitive verb in /-a-(ti)/ as well. Therefore, both verbs are derived from a non-attested nominal base. Keeping the Hittite etymology of Melchert, which is semantically compelling, we can posit that an action noun in *-eh2- was built on the formation in *-sk̂e/o-, i.e. Luw. /as-/ ‘to be dear to’ → /asza-(i)/ ‘id.’ → */azza-/ c. ‘love’ → /azza-(ti)/ ‘to love’. The process of building a verbal abstract noun in *-eh2- from a formation in *-sk̂e/o- is paralleled by Lyc. za- ‘to give as a share’ (< *dhh1-sk̂eh2-) ← za- c. ‘share’ (< *dhh1-sk̂eh2- c. ← *dh1-sk̂e/o-). Therefore, we reconstruct a Proto-Luwic factitive in *-eh2-, i.e. *(h1)assk̂ā- ‘to love’, which would go back ultimately to the Proto-Anatolian root verb *h1E(h1)s(-i̯e/o)- ‘to be dear to’ by means of the steps explained above. It is generally accepted that Hitt. aššiye/a- is related to Hittite aššu- ‘good’ (HEG A-H:90, Lehrman 1998a:180, EDHIL:215f.). Both the verbal formation and the adjective can be reconstructed for Proto-Anatolian; see lemma head. Differently, Melchert apud Rieken 2019b:314f. suggests a different root etymology with *(s)h3eku̯- ‘to see’, i.e. Luw. /azza-/ ‘to love’ < *en-(s)h3ku̯-i̯-eh2- ‘to view’ ← *en-(s)h3ku̯-i̯-eh2- ‘view’. This is in formal terms possible, but extremely far-fetched and hard to support by independent evidence.
[D.S.]
For the lemma head see PAnat. *h1E(h1)s-.