/kwanza/, kwa/i-a-za

This lexeme is attested 13 times in inscriptions from Karkamiš, Tell Ahmar, Aleppo, Assur, Maraş and Tabal dating from the 10^th or early 9^th to the late 8^th century BCE. 

[A.P.]

indecl.	/kwanza/	kwa/i-a-za	KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §33 (Karkamiš)
		kwa/i-za	KARKAMIŠ A6, §12 (Karkamiš)
			KARKAMIŠ A7, §5 (Karkamiš)
			KARKAMIŠ A5a, §10 (Karkamiš)
			BOHÇA, §13 (Tabal)
			ASSUR letter a, §7 (Assur)
			ASSUR letter c, §7 (Assur)
			ASSUR letter e, §9 (Assur)
			ASSUR letter f+g, §27 (Assur)
			KULULU lead strip 2, §1.2 (Tabal)
			BABYLON 2, §2 (Aleppo)
			MARAŞ 1, §11 (Maraş)
		[kwa/i?]-za	TELL AHMAR 1, §11 (Tell Ahmar)

In MARAŞ 1, §11, the word is followed by a clearly visible 〈wa/i〉, presumably the quotative particle /=wa/, although it occurs in the middle of the clause rather than at the beginning.

The attestation in TELL AHMAR 1, §11 is to be understood as tentative, because it is doubtful if the broken space is sufficient for the sign 〈kwa/i〉.

[A.P.]

The meaning of this adverb has proved difficult to pinpoint, and while scholars agree on it having the function of a conjunction (thus first suggested by Hawkins 1987a:150), they have come to different conclusions regarding its semantic content. Oshiro 1988b:14f. regards it as a mainly temporal conjunction, whereas Melchert 2003b:207 asserts that it means ‘because’ and also interrogative ‘why?’; the contexts attest to both. Cross-linguistically, a development from a temporal to a causal meaning for conjunctions is well documented (cf. e.g. English since and German weil), often with considerable overlap between the two meanings, and it is therefore no surprise that the HLuw. data attest to a similar state of affairs. In KARKAMIŠ A6, §12, a temporal meaning seems indicated: INFANS-ní-i-sa-wa/i-sá kwa/i-za á-sa-ta-a, approx. /niwarannis=wa=as kwanza asta/, translating as ‘(He trampled over everything,) while he was a child’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:124). However, it is not actually clear which meaning should be favoured for many contexts, cf. e.g. ASSUR letter a, §7: (*205)á-tu-ni-na-wa/i-mu kwa/i-za NEG₂-a ma-nu-ha VIA-wa/i-ni-ta, approx. /adunun=wa=mu kwanza na manuhha harwannitta/, which in the context may mean ‘(Did not Tarpammi go here and there (= now and then) to Kar(ka)mis,) because/while you sent no provisions whatsoever?’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:534).

[AH.B.]

The adverb is a lexicalised form from the paradigm of the relative and interrogative pronoun /kwi-/kwa-/ ‘who, which’, more specifically the nom./acc. sg. n. /kwan=za/, see Oshiro 1988b:14f. The form constitutes the new allomorph for the nom./acc. sg. n., which replaced older */kwi/ and was formed in analogy to other pronouns and adjectives subject to i-mutation, leaving no place for an /i/ in the nom./acc. sg. n. The previous form is attested in CLuw. kui ‘which, what’ (see under lemma).

[AH.B.]