/mila-/, (*187.ZÚ)mi-la-
‘(a commodity?)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 2152
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/mila-/, (*187.ZÚ)mi-la-
‘(a commodity?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested three times in inscriptions from Assur and the Amuq, dating from the 9th to the late 8th century BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
| acc. sg. | /milan/ | (“*187.ZÚ”)mi-la-a-na | ASSUR letter c, §8 (Assur) |
| acc. pl. | /milanzi/ | (*187.ZÚ)mi-la-zi-i | ASSUR letter a, §11 (Assur) |
| unknown | (*187.Z[Ú])mi-la-˹x˺ | ‘AZAZ, l.2 (Amuq) |
[A.P.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The attested spellings of this lexeme have proved a challenge for scholars. Thus, the phonological interpretation of this word has taken on different shapes, e.g. */sumila-/ and */zumila-/ besides /mila-/, and it is not clear if the /l/ should be understood as a geminate instead. At present, the word remains etymologically isolated within the Anatolian languages and beyond. Further finds may require a reassessment of the word and its proposed shape.
The spelling of this word includes the logogram *187, whose phonological and semantic interpretations have so far remained in the dark; it resembles an asterisk and otherwise accompanies words around kinship, e.g. /hartuwi(ya)-/ ‘relatives’, besides a few others of unclear meaning. The following sign 〈zú〉 (*448)This sign was previously read 〈sù〉 by a number of scholars, see Hawkins 2000a:33, 35f., a view that has since changed. For a brief overview of the discussion, see Simon 2012b:170f. and Melchert 2012b:210 with further references. is taken as a phonetic indicator here, aiding in the interpretation of the previous logogram, because ASSUR letter c, §8 positions the logogram marker (*410) underneath and not above, thereby suggesting (though not proving) that *187 and 〈zú〉 have the status of determinatives.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning of this word is unknown. However, the contexts where it is attested suggest that it denotes a tradable commodity. While the logogram *187 could be taken as a sign that /mila-/ should be counted among the kinship words and therefore denote human beings, this seems unlikely for two reasons. First, the sheer quantities asked for in ASSUR letters a and c are rather large (50 and 100). Second, and more importantly, ASSUR letter c contains a complaint by the sender about having been sent a group of relatives, but no additional means for taking care of them. It is therefore highly unlikely that the same person would ask for being sent yet more relatives. ASSUR letter c, §8 reads: wa/i-mu-u 10 ha-sà-pi-na 100-ha-wa/i-mu “(*187.ZÚ)”mi-la-a-na VIA-wa/i-ni, approx. /wa=mu … haspin …=ha=wa=mu milan harwanni/, translating as ‘Send me ten haspi-s and one hundred mila-s’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:535, 544f.).Both /hasp(i)-/ and /mila-/ are inflected as acc. sg., which is entirely expected because HLuw. employs plural marking only on nouns without numerals or after the numerals ‘two’, ‘three’, and ‘four’, but relies on singular marking with ‘five’ and above, see Bauer 2014a:100.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The attestations show that this noun is a common gender a-stem. Beyond that, however, its morphology remains in the dark, mainly for a lack of etymological links.
[AH.B.]