nei(je)-

This lexeme is attested in the inscription of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos, dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[D.S.]

The words nei and neiz have been interpreted as demonstrative pronouns by Meriggi 1936b:263 ‘this’ (tentatively followed by DLL:123), recalling indeed the shape of the pronoun ebei(je)-. On the other hand, Sasseville 2021a:55 n. 39 suggests instead that it is not a demonstrative but a possessive pronoun of the 1^st person plural, i.e. ‘our’, comparing etymologically the Hittite enclitic pronoun =nnaš ‘us’. This can be contextually supported in TL 44c.51 with the fact that the pronoun is used in the speech of the assembly of gods, which is probably headed by the Storm-god. Thus, nei talã ‘our invocation (?)’ in the first case would refer to the invocation of all the gods present at the assembly. For the second context, neiz=ke tuwiz ‘our laid offerings’, see Sasseville 2021a:55. The connection with the root of Hitt. nāi-/-i(ya)-^(ḫi) ‘to turn, (+ parā) ‘to send’ as maintained by Shevoroshkin 2014a:242 remains unconvincing.

[D.S.]

If the word under discussion really is a possessive pronoun, a stem in -i(je)- is very likely (a stem in -i(je)- is also suggested by Schürr 2016d:166, Schürr 2018b:74).

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see Lyc. ãzi.