*wawal(l)i-

Reconstructed from personal names preserved in the correspondence of Assyrian Colony period merchants in Anatolia.

[Zs.S.]

Wa-wa-li	Adana 237 A, 27; CCT 3, 49b, 26; KTH 36, 38; KTS 7a, 16.23; TC III 3, 9; TTC 5, 8; VS 26, 121, 8’; kt 91/k 169, 13; kt 91/k 492, 8; kt 94/k 128, 23
Wa-wa-˹li˺	KUG 41, 2; MAH 16204, 22;
[Wa-]˹wa˺-li	Adana 237 A, 22

The attestations follow the mutually complementary Garelli 1965a:26, Laroche 1966b:207 (No. 1521), Yakubovich 2010d:212, and Kloekhorst 2019b:87 n. 371 checked against the hand copies (no hand copies are available for Adana 237 and the kt/91 and 94 texts; photos are generally not available; based on the hand copy, Laroche’s Wa-wa-lí [also in Garelli 1965a:26] in TC III 3, 9 is a misprint). Contra Kloekhorst, [Wa-]wa-li of ICK 4 I 768, 15 was not included, since no explanation for the restoration was given in the edition (Hecker & Kryszat & Matouš 1998a:335). Yakubovich adds the female personal name Wa-wa-lá in CCT 1 11b, 4.7.16 (Laroche 1966b:207, No. 1520), which is, however, only the abbreviated form of Walawala based on OIP XXVII 59, 24.30 referring to the same transaction (Hecker 1978a:410, followed by Zehnder 2010a:308).

[Zs.S.]

Yakubovich 2010d:211 assumes the meaning ‘bull’ based on the identification with the Luwian word waw(i)-, proposed by him (it would represent a derived adjective). Although this identification is possible, it cannot be proven, see under Origin.

[Zs.S.]

Yakubovich 2010d: 211–213 explains Wawali from the Luwian word waw(i)- ‘bull’ with the widespread -alla/i-suffix (interestingly, already Hecker 1966a:104 interprets this name as Wawalli – but writes Wawali one page earlier, without explanation). Although Kloekhorst 2019b:61 admits that Yakubovich’s explanation “could in principle formally work”, he still rejects it due to the other reading possibilities of ‹wa›. However, it must be added that even if the reading is correct, Wawali can also be understood as a typical example of an Anatolian “Lallname” with bisyllabic base and reduplicated first syllable (type Pupuli, cf. Laroche 1966b:243; Hoffner 1998a:117; Zehnder 2010a:48f.). Moreover, even in the case of a suffixation with -alla/i- it cannot be excluded that the base word Wawa- is another type of a typical Anatolian Lallname (reduplicated monosyllabic base, type Lala, cf. Laroche 1966b:240; Hoffner 1998a:117; Zehnder 2010a:46). All in all, a Luwian explanation is possible, but cannot be proven.

[Zs.S.]

Last updated: 31 August 2020