pẽnije-^(ti)

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.]

Kalinka 1901a:43 reads pẹ̃liu, whereas Korolev & Shevoroshkin 1969a:541, Eichner 1993a:165, and Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:25 read pẽṇịu (followed by DLL:124, Neumann 2007a:267, Sasseville 2021a:518). Differently, the word is read as pẽliu by Schürr 2016d:153, 167 (followed by Gehrisch 2018a:82), despite the phonologically awkward sequence. Based on the photo published in Schürr 2016d:151, nothing prevents the reading of a damaged letter ṇ.

[D.S.]

Korolev & Shevoroshkin 1969a:541 etymologically equate Lyc. B pẽniu to Hitt. penna-/-i(ya)-^(ḫi) ‘to drive (trans.)’, which remains convincing (also Shevoroshkin 2011b:143 n. 2). Sasseville 2021a:518f. points out that the dat./loc. pl. kize qle ‘to any precinct’ supports the semantics obtained by the etymological approach. However, depending on what the direct object lebi means, the verb could be better translated with ‘to dispatch (vel sim.)’ (see CHD P:264-267 for the contexts in which Hitt. penna-/-i(ya)-^(ḫi) is used). Furthermore, it is worth pointing out that a few lines later (line 63), the lebi (coll. laba) is given to various river-valleys, which also supports the semantics of pẽnije-^(ti) as a verb of “sending” or “giving”.

[D.S.]

The verbal form pẽniu belongs to the Lycian verbal stem class in -ije-^(ti) (without contraction) and can be associated with a (lexicalized) imperfective formation in -ẽnije-^(ti) corresponding to the ones in Hittite -anna-/-i(ya)-^(ḫi) and CLuw. -anna-⁽ⁱ⁾ (see Sasseville 2021a:518f.).

[D.S.]

CHD P:264-267