/nawa(/i)-/, (INFANS)na-wa/i-
‘great-great-grandson’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, common
- ID
- 1322
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/nawa(/i)-/, (INFANS)na-wa/i-
‘great-great-grandson’1.1.1Transmission
The lexeme is attested three times in two inscriptions. The texts originate from Hama and Maraş and date to between 900 and 700 BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. | /nawas/ | (INFANS)na-wa/i-sa | MARAŞ 1, §1e (Maraş) |
| (INFANS)NEG2-wa/i-sa | SHEIZAR, §5 (Hama) | ||
| nom. pl. | /nawanzi/ | (INFANS)NEG2-wa/i-zi | SHEIZAR, §4 (Hama) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of the lexeme is reasonably certain, because it is supported by cognate evidence from CLuw. nawila(/i)- ‘youth, young animal’ and related words. However, the HLuw. writing system leaves open whether the stem is subject to i-mutation or not and the attested forms could be read /nawis/ and /nawinzi/, since the sign 〈wa/i〉 is vocalically underspecified.
The two attestations from SHEIZAR show a rebus spelling with the sign NEG2 used to represent the value /na/. In fact, the present word and its attestation proved to be vital in assigning the syllabic value /na/ to NEG2, see Hawkins 1975a:120.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning was first suggested by Meriggi 1953a:56 and followed by subsequent scholars. His interpretation fits fully with the contexts, where /nawa(/i)-/ always occurs in strings naming descendants, e.g. SHEIZAR, §5: á?-mi-wa/i-tá wa/i-[...]-´ *a-mi-sa kwa/i-i-sa INFANS.NEPOS-si-sa INFANS.NEPOS-ka-la-[sa] (INFANS)NEG2-wa/i-sa (INFANS)NEG2-˹wa/i˺-[NEG2-]wa/i-sa […], meaning ‘Among my (offspring?) which grandson, great-grandson, great-great-grandson, great-great-great-grandson …’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:417). In addition to that, the word is clearly related to the Luwian word family around */nawa/i-/ ‘new’, and Oshiro 1990a:87 points to it as a hypocoristic formation typical of many Anatolian kinship terms.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The noun is based on the unattested adjective */nawa/i-/ ‘new’ (cf. e.g. Melchert 1994a:244, 263) and constitutes a conversion. Based on the attested forms, it cannot be stated with certainty whether or not the noun is subject to i-mutation or not.
[AH.B.]
1.1.6Derivatives
For the lemma head see HLuw. */nawa/i-/.