PUGNUS.PUGNUS-la-

This hapax is attested in a single inscription from Tabal, dating to the late 8^th century BCE.

[A.P.]

2sg. impv. act.

/…/

PUGNUS.PUGNUS-la

HİSARCIK 1, §5 (Tabal)

The above cited form from HİSARCIK 1, §5 is usually seen as nominal (see e.g. Hawkins 2000a:484 and Melchert 2014a:134), but instead constitutes the main verb of the clause, cf. the discussion of the meaning below.

Moreover, the form cited above is taken as evidence for a lexeme in its own right rather than being included in the paradigm of HLuw. PUGNUS-PUGNUS-li-^(ti) ‘to hold, stay’. The words appear to differ in stem formation, since the 2sg. impv. act. ends in /-i/ for the latter mentioned, but in /-a/ for the present verb.

[A.P.] [AH.B.]

Belonging to the family around the more frequently attested PUGNUS-PUGNUS-li-^(ti) ‘to hold, to stay’, the general meaning of the present verb is clear. Still, while its single attestation clearly shows it to be transitive, the assigned meaning may have to be adapted if further evidence surfaces. The clause HİSARCIK 1, §5 reads: a-wa/i á-wa/i-´ ha-tu+ra/i-la-´ PUGNUS.PUGNUS-la tu-wa/i-na si-sà+ra/i-li-na ku+ra/i-ti-sá SERVUS-lá/í-na, approx. /a=wa awi hatturala …-la tuwin sisarlin kurtis hudarlin/, meaning ‘Come on, hold (?) in health your worshipper, Kurti’s servant!’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:483-485).Note that Hawkins 2000a’s analysis and translation of the clause differ markedly. The form /awi/ belongs to the verb HLuw. /awi-^(di)/ ‘to come’ and most likely functions as an interjection here, meaning ‘come on’, similarly to its occurrences in the ASSUR letters, where it also occupies a slot very early in the clause with another verb showing the same inflection in a later slot.

[AH.B.]

The only attested form at HİSARCIK 1, §5 shows the verb to have a stem containing /-a-/, which may point towards /-a-^(ti)/, /-a(i)-^(di)/, or /-a-⁽ⁱ⁾/, cf. Sasseville 2021a:19-21, 80-82, 340-342. No further reaching analysis is possible at this time.

Alternatively but syntactically less likely, the word may represent a nominal form after all, with the dat./loc. sg. ending typical for a-stems, cf. Hawkins 2000a:484, followed by Melchert 2014a:134, 136.

[AH.B.]