kulkulliya

The sole attestation of the lexeme is found in a NS copy of the Ištanuwa festival.

[E.R.]

nom./acc. pl. n.

ku-u[l-ku]-⸢ul-li⸣-ia

KUB 25.37 ii 32’

(CTH 771, NS)

The morphological analysis follows CLL:106.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[E.R.]

So far, the fragmentary context precluded any semantic interpretation (see DLL:56, CLL:106, HEG A-K:626, HHw: 83, Yakubovich 2017d). One could consider an etymological connection with Hitt. ku(wa)liu- ‘flowing smoothly, calm’ based on a morphematic analysis kul-kull-i(ya)- (an adjective derived from *kul-kull-a(/i)- ‘smooth flow’). If correct, kulkulli(ya)- would mean something like ‘related to smooth flow, flowing smoothly’. Feeble support for this may be adduced from the equally enigmatic taršuli(ya)-, if this is a cognate to Hitt. tarš-ant- ‘dried’. However, it must be emphasized that the interpretation of both words relies on no additional root connections and the possible, but unproven antonymic character of the two juxtaposed adjectives, and due caution require not to offer a translation here.

[E.R.]

The suggested classification as an adjective depends on the interpretation of word-final -iya as the relational suffix -i(ya)-, which is much more productive than the common gender abstract suffix -iya-. The putative -i(ya)- adjective derives from a thematic (less likely athematic) substantival base *kul-kull-a(/i)- with full reduplication of the root (cf. also Hitt. kulkuliye/a- ‘to flow smoothly’ or ‘to becalm’).

[E.R.]