/san(n)awizza(/i)-?/, sa-na-wa/i-za-
‘(very) good’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- adj
- ID
- 1745
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/san(n)awizza(/i)-?/, sa-na-wa/i-za-
‘(very) good’1.1.1Transmission
Attested four times, the evidence for this lexeme appears in inscriptions from Tabal and Cilicia, as well as letters found in Assur though of uncertain origin. All texts date to the 8th and early 7th centuries BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. c. | /san(n)awizzas?/ | sa-na-wa/i-za-sa | KARATEPE 1 Hu., §36 (Cilicia) |
| acc. sg. c. | /san(n)awizzin?/ | sa-na-wa/i-zi-na-´ | ASSUR letter e, §23 (Assur) |
| sa-na-wa/i-zi-na-i | ASSUR letter d, §8 (Assur) | ||
| (“[BONUS]”)sa-[n]a-wa/i-zi-na | KULULU 3, §4 (Tabal) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
Despite four fully spelt out attestations, the phonological shape of this word remains slightly uncertain because of the ambiguous vowel quality of the sign 〈wa/i〉 (*439). Cf. e.g. Yakubovich 2013b:159 n. 9 who still assumes that the suffix /-zza-/ attaches to a-stems only, implying the form should be /sannawazzas/, but that view has now changed, see Yakubovich 2016b:467. The present interpretation takes into account that the stem of the adjective it is based on is /san(n)awi-/ and retains its stem-final /i/ throughout the word family.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
While the link of the present lexeme to /san(n)awi-/ ‘good’ appears clear, its contexts of attestation are somewhat challenging for a more precise semantic interpretation. In the inscriptions, i.e. KARATEPE 1 Hu., §36 and KULULU 3, §4, the form usually preceds a noun and shows overt grammatical agreement: sa-na-wa/i-za-sa-ha SOLIUM.MI-ia-sa, i.e. /sannawizzas=ha asiyas/ ‘very good living’, corresponding to Phoenician w-šbt nʿmt ‘good residing’, and (“[BONUS]”)sa-[n]a-wa/i-zi-na PANIS-ni-na, i.e. /sannawizzin adunin/ ‘very good provisions’ respectively. A prenominal position is the most expected slot for a modifying adjective in HLuw. in general, but postnominal adjectives modifying their adjacent noun are far from rare, see Bauer 2014a:229-235. Thus in the ASSUR letters d, §8 and e, §23, the two attestations of /sannawizzin/ occur behind their respective nouns /harrallin/ and /kwalayanan/, but the meaning of either noun has so far remained opaque.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Clearly derived from the adjective simplex /sannawi-/ ‘good’, this lexeme features the suffix /-zza(/i)-/, which Yakubovich 2016b:477 n. 52 terms a gradation suffix, although this is contested by Sasseville 2014-2015a:107-109, who regards the forms in /-azza-/ as nouns. It is noteworthy that the forms show inconsistent behaviour regarding the stem final vowel. As an adjective, the form would be expected to fully conform to i-mutation, and the acc. sg. c. forms are all spelt with 〈zi〉 representing /sannawizzin/. However, the nom. sg. c. spelling 〈sa-na-wa/i-za-sa〉 from KARATEPE 1 Hu., §36 clearly speaks for /sannawizzas/ instead of the expected **/sannawizzis/. While this may constitute actual contradictory evidence, it should be borne in mind that the signs 〈za〉 and 〈zi〉 are very similar, both consisting mainly of an upright arrow, and only differ by the addition of two horizontal lines added at the bottom of the arrow for 〈za〉. A spelling mistake can hence not be ruled out.
[AH.B.]
For the base of the derivative, see HLuw. /san(n)awi-/.