epewẽtlm̃mẽi
‘people dwelling in the vicinity’
- Language
- Lycian A
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 3101
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Lycian A
epewẽtlm̃mẽi
‘people dwelling in the vicinity’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in a Letoon trilingual inscription datable to the reign of Pixodaros, the Carian Satrap, 340-335-34 BCE.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. pl. | epewẽtlm͂mẽi | N 320.6 (Xanthos) |
| N 320.13-14 (Xanthos) | ||
| N 320.32 (Xanthos) |
1.1.3Meaning
This lexeme is found in the Letoon trilingual inscription, in which it is rendered with Gk. τοῖς περιοίκοις ‘those dwelling around (the city of Xanthos)’. Therefore, Lyc. epewẽtlm̃me- refers to the inhabitants of small villages near the city (Laroche 1979c:62, Adiego 1993c, Melchert in DLL:14, Neumann 2007a:59).
[D.S.]
1.1.4Stem
As per Melchert (DLL:xi), the nom. pl. in -ẽi is most likely indicative of a common gender stem formation in -e- (cf. Melchert 1994a:318, Melchert 2003b:176 n. 6; outdated Meriggi 1978c:261), although a second example would be necessary to confirm this claim. Differently, Neumann 2007a:59 suggests an original common gender men-stem (similarly Carruba 1977a:291), which is possible and attractive vis-à-vis the stem-final -mẽi, but likewise lacks additional support.
[D.S.]
1.1.5Origin
The morphological analysis of epewẽtlm̃me- is generally debated: Laroche 1979c:63 (and Laroche 1979b:351) suggests a univerbation of Lyc. epe and a virtual Luwian *wantalamma/i-, which is a compelling hypothesis (for a phonologically matching though semantically difficult root see CLuw. wandani(ya)- ‘radiant, glowing’). Instead, Heubeck 1975a:81 suggests that the root wẽt- matches Lyc. wedri ‘city’, which is phonologically unacceptable. A different segmentation is attempted by Carruba 1977a:291f., who sees a univerbation of epi + ewẽ + ttl(e)i-(di) ‘to cause to pay’ followed by a neuter men-stem, which is overall less convincing especially semantically. Adiego 1993c:141 also suggests analyzing the preverbs epe and ewẽ but then sees a participle to a root tel- (< PIE *ku̯el(h1)- ‘to turn’), which is possible but difficult to prove without further evidence from within Lycian. As per Neumann 2007a:59, none of these hypotheses is cogent and the etymology of this Lycian lexeme remains obscure.
[D.S.]