/massattidaiya-(di)/, ma-sa-ti-tà-ia-
‘to become massattidaiya’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 2060
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/massattidaiya-(di)/, ma-sa-ti-tà-ia-
‘to become massattidaiya’1.1.1Transmission
This hapax is attested in a single inscription from Tabal, dating to c. 740–730 BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
|
3sg. pres. ind. act. |
/massattidaiyadi/ |
ma-sa-ti-tà-ia-ri+i |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
Provided this word belongs to the family around the word /massan(i)-/ ‘god’, the phonological interpretation is relatively certain. The link with /massan(i)-/ is assumed because of the noun /massatt(i)-/ ‘divine law (?)’, but it should be noted that the only attestation of the present lexeme does not make use of the logogram DEUS (sign *360), otherwise ubiquitous in this word family. An alternative interpretation of the spelling could be /mastidaiya-/ (see Sasseville 2021a:97 and cf. Hawkins 2000a:466).
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The precise meaning of this word remains unclear to this day, even though the word family as well as the context of attestation provide a number of hints. In SULTANHAN, §16, the clause is part of the protasis of a wish formula: a-wa/i-´ hwa/i-sá MAGNUS+ra/i-ia-ri+i ma-sa-ti-tà-ia-ri+i-ha, approx. /a=wa kwis urayadi massattidaiyadi=ha/, meaning ‘(He) who becomes great and becomes massattidaiya (and who shall fear this god, he, too, shall behold his goodness here)’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:466).
Meriggi 1967a:118 tentatively proposed ‘to enlarge’ (“ingrandisca (?)”) as a translation,Note, however, that his analysis relies on a misanalysis of the syntactic structure by conflating two clauses into one, a mistake that has since been rectified. which seems to go into the right direction, but does not take into account the very probable link with /massan(i)-/ ‘god’. Perhaps a meaning such as ‘to become a religious adjudicator, a mufti (?)’ vel sim. should be considered.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
This verb belongs to the stems in /-a(i)-(di)/ (HLuw. /-a-(di)/) and derives from an unattested noun */massattidaiya-/, originally an adjective, see Sasseville 2021a:97. If the derivational chain proposed by Sasseville holds true, viz. /massatt(i)-/ c. → /massattid-/ n. → /massattidai(ya)-/ adj. → /massattidaiya-/ c. → massatidaiya-(di), this could be interpreted semantically as ‘divine law (?)’ → ‘divine lawfulness (?)’ → ‘pertaining to divine lawfulness (?)’ → ‘someone in charge of divine lawfulness (?)’ → ‘to become a person in charge of divine lawfulness (?)’, i.e. ‘to become a religious adjudicator (?)’. However, this chain of interpretations remains firmly in the realm of the hypothetical until further evidence has been unearthed that supports at least part of it.
[AH.B.]
For the derivational base see HLuw. /massatt(i)-/.