FEMINA.*462(-)3-tà-
‘procreation, fertility, fecundity (?)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, n.
- ID
- 1839
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
FEMINA.*462(-)3-tà-
‘procreation, fertility, fecundity (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested twice in inscriptions from Karkamiš, dating from the 10th or early 9th to the 8th century BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
| dat./loc. sg. | /…-t(ar)ridi?/ | FEMINA.*462-ti | TİLSEVET, §4 (Karkamiš) |
| nom./acc. pl. | /…-t(ar)rida?/ | FEMINA.*462(-)3-tà | KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §29 (Karkamis) |
The signs in KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §29 have been analysed in different ways by scholars. Hawkins 2000a:104, 107 reads the string 〈(FEMINA.*462)||4?-tà〉, His reading of the number sign as 〈4〉, which follows an old suggestion by Mittelberger 1962a:280, does not reflect what can be seen on the photograph, which shows three strokes, not four, see Payne 2019b:80f. incl. n. 52. while Yakubovich 2017e:s.v. offers 〈FEMINA.*462||-3?-tà〉, and Payne 2019b:80f. incl. n. 52 suggests 〈(FEMINA.*462)||3-tà〈-na〉〉 with emendation, assuming it should be acc. sg. (following a suggestion by Melchert, pers. comm.). However, if this word were a stem in /-ada-/, as suggested by Payne, the dat./loc. sg. would be expected to end in /-a/ or /-aya/, but not /-i/; a nom./acc. pl. is hence more likely.
[A.P.] [AH.B.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of this noun is uncertain, because it is not known whether the initial logograms represent determinatives in KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §29 or part of the phonological form of the word. The use of the number sign 3 (consisting of three parallel strokes) may be taken as a rebus writing for /t(ar)ri/ vel sim., although this is far from certain and hence fixed with question marks. It seems unlikely that – as tentatively suggested by Hawkins 2000a:107 following a remark by Mittelberger 1962a:280 – the spelling could represent /muwida-/ ‘(male) seed’, which is used in the preceding clause.
What does appear certain is the stem-final /d/ represented by the sign 〈tà〉 (cf. Rieken 2008b:639).
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning of this noun is unclear in its precise meaning, but its belonging to the field of female reproductive capacity appears clear, cf. Hawkins 2000a:107, 179. In both contexts of attestation, the word appears used antonymically with male reproductive capacity. Thus, KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §29 runs: FEMINA-ti-i[a]-ti-pa-wa/i-tú (FEMINA.*462)3-tà ni-i CAPERE-ti-i, approx. /wanattiyadi?=ba=wa=du …-trida ni lanti/, translating as ‘(They shall not allot male seed(?) to him,) and they shall not allot fecundities (?) to her female genitalia (?)’ in the context of the apodosis of a curse formula (cf. Hawkins 2000a:104).
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The morphological analysis of this word hinges on whether the suggested phonological form holds true, once further evidence surfaces. If so, the word appears to be a neuter noun with a stem in /-id-/, of which the HLuw. corpus includes several, cf. /hadid-/ ‘command’ and /wanid-/ ‘stele’, and which fits well with the choice of 〈tà〉 for representing it (cf. Rieken 2008b:642).
[AH.B.]