māḫlant-
‘having a branch of a grapevine’
- Language
- Palaic
- Grammar
- subst
- ID
- 2092
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Palaic
māḫlant-
‘having a branch of a grapevine’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in a mythical passage of the Old Hittite ritual for the disappearing deity.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
|
nom. sg. c. |
ma-a-aḫ-la-an-za |
KUB 32.18 i 6’ |
(CTH 752, MS) |
|
unclear |
ma-a-a[ḫ?]-x-[ |
KBo 58.237, 9’ |
(CTH 754, NS?) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
Checked against the photograph of the Konkordanz (Mainzer Fotoarchiv).
[D.S.]
1.1.4Meaning
Meriggi 1963a:6 suggests an etymological connection between Pal. māḫlanza and Hitt. GIŠmāḫla- c. ‘branch of a grapevine’ (HEG L-M:89). He argues that the semantics are contextually supported, since the word māḫlanza is attested right before the gods enter to eat and drink. Kammenhuber 1959a:46 is certainly right in seeing ma-a-aḫ-la-an-za as the nominative singular form of a derivative in -nt-, i.e. māḫla-nt-. Therefore, we translate the adjective with possessive semantics as ‘having a branch of a grapevine’.
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction
Hitt. GIŠmāḫla- c. ‘branch of grapevine’ and its Palaic cognate māḫlant- ‘having a branch of a grapevine’ can be analyzed morphologically starting from a root māḫ- followed by a derivation in -la- c. (< *-lo- or *-leh2-). The Proto-Anatolian root can be reconstructed as *mEH- (+/– coloring), *maH- or with lengthened grade *mōH- (or even *māH-). Since the laryngeal appears to be lenis (no spelling **ma-a-aḫ-ḫa-la- is found), it is preferable to deal with a lengthened grade (or with an accented o-grade, which could perhaps lenite the second laryngeal; see Melchert 2012c). The suggestion of Puhvel (HED M:4f.) that is goes back to a pre-form *may-aḫḫ-ala- related to the root in Hitt. māi-/-i(ya)-(ḫi) ‘to grow’, which would have undergone contraction and syncope is possible, but difficult to prove (cf. the retention of the root final glide in such nominal derivations cf. LÚmayant- ‘young man’). The Greek word μῶλαξ (a sort of wine), which is said by Hesychius to be Lydian in origin (Gusmani 1964a:276), has been adduced tentatively as a cognate of Hitt. GIŠmāḫla- (HEG L-M:89f., EDHIL:539), which is possible, but unprovable due to our limited knowledge of Lydian phonology.
Various Indo-European etymological proposals for GIŠmāḫla- are gathered in HEG L-M:89f., EDHIL:539 and Gamkrelidze & Ivanov 1995a I :552f.
[D.S.]