ẽmi(n)-

This pronoun is attested in several inscriptions found in Sardis, which belong to a variety of genres, and once in a fragmentary poetic inscription from the Lower Hermos valley. The earliest attestation is datable to the early 6th century BCE (LW 30), but the bulk of inscriptions containing the relevant form were made in 5^th-4^th century BCE. For a 6^th century dating of LW 23 and LW 24, see Euler & Sasseville 2019a.

[I.Y.]

acc. sg. c.	ẽmν	LW 23.19 (Sardis)
		LW 24.20 (Sardis)
		LW 30.1 (Sardis)
dat. sg.	ẽmλ	LW 5.4 (Sardis)
acc. pl. c. (?)	ẽmiš	LW 13.2 (Sardis)
	ẽminaš	LW 44.7 (Manisa)
dat. pl.	ẽminaν	LW 5.4 (Sardis)

The grammatical interpretation of ẽmiš depends on that of wstaas in the same line (see wsta-). The grammatical interpretation of ẽminaš is uncertain in view of the fragmentary context.

[I.Y.]

The meaning ‘my’ was proposed in Meriggi 1935a:74, 103, and this proposal appears to have never been challenged. Particularly clear is the context in LW 23.18-19, where ẽmν ẽtamν ‘my ordinance’ follows fẽtamνidν ‘I decreed’. The possessive pronoun ẽmi(n)- usually precedes its head noun, but follows it in LW 24.20 and perhaps in LW 44.7.

[I.Y.]

The declension of ẽmi(n)- is not distinct from that of semi-vocalic nouns in the singular but displays a specific pronominal pattern in the plural, which consists in appending the element -in- to the stem. If the case functions of ẽmiš and ẽminaš are correctly determined, the variant ẽmiš emerges as the more archaic one, whereas ẽminaš reflects the spread of the n-extension from the dative to the accusative.

[I.Y.]

For the lemma head see Lyd. =im, =(u)m.