/wa(/i)Tarassa-⁽ⁱ⁾/, (“PES₂”)wa/i-tara/i-sa-

‘to appoint’

Language: Hieroglyphic Luwian
Grammar: verb
ID: 2594

1. Individual Anatolian Languages

1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian

‘to appoint’

1.1.1Transmission

This lexeme is attested once, in an inscription from Karkamiš, dating to the late 9^th or early 8^th century BCE.

[A.P.]

1.1.2Forms

1sg. pret. ind. act.

/wa(/i)Tarassahha

(“PES₂”)wa/i-tara/i-sa-ha-a

KARKAMIŠ A7, §4 (Karkamiš)

[A.P.]

1.1.3Graphic Features

1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation

The phonological interpretation of this word is tentative, since it lacks identified etymological ties to other Anatolian languages so far.Some of the words beginning with CLuw. /watta°/ and /wida°/ may perhaps turn out to be related, but they, too, remain without semantic interpretations so far, see CLL:267f., 271. Because of the ambiguity of the sign 〈wa/i〉, the quality of the first vowel remains unclear, and the dental following it is likewise indeterminable regarding lenition. Only the final suffix /-ssa-/ seems secure, if correctly identified, since it appears in many other lexemes.

[AH.B.]

1.1.4Meaning

Despite a single attestation, the meaning of this verb is clear at least in a general way, and Hawkins 2000a:129 suggests ‘to appoint, establish’ (an earlier tentative suggestion was ‘to place’ so as to make at least some sense of the logogram PES₂, see Hawkins 1980d:131). In the context of KARKAMIŠ A7, §4 describes how the author benefitted the people depicted, especially a young person named Kamani: wa/i-na DEUS.DOMUS-tà ^ISUPER+ra/i-a (“PES₂”)wa/i-tara/i-sa-ha-a, approx. /wa=an …-hadi sarra wa/ittarassahha/, meaning ‘I appointed him over the temple (when he was a child)’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:129).

[AH.B.]

1.1.5Stem

If the stem of the verb is interpreted correctly, it belongs to the class in /-ssa-⁽ⁱ⁾/, a suffix is used to form imperfectives from verbs, cf. e.g. Sasseville 2021a:489. The derivational base remains unclear for a lack of identified cognates at present.

[AH.B.]