/par(r)alla/i-/, pa+ra/i-la-ri+i
‘(unknown)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- adj
- ID
- 3430
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/par(r)alla/i-/, pa+ra/i-la-ri+i
‘(unknown)’1.1.1Transmission
A hapax legomenon, the lexeme is attested once in one of the letters found in Assur, but originating from elsewhere. The text dates to the late 8th century BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| abl./instr. | /par(r)alladi/ | pa+ra/i-la-ri+i | ASSUR letter f+g, §18 |
The attestation in ASSUR letter f+g, §18 is followed by a string of clitics: 〈ha-wa/i-tu-u〉, i.e. /=ha=wa=du/ ‘and to you (sg.)’ with the quotative particle /=wa/ intervening. Curiously, the lexeme and the particle chain are graphematically separated by a word divider: 〈… |pa+ra/i-la-ri+i-|!ha-wa/i-tu-u |…〉, a rare occurrence because the first word and the particle chain form one accentual unit and are therefore perceived and spelt as one.
[AH.B.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of the word is tentative. While the spelling of its sole occurrence is reasonably transparent, it still leaves some room for interpretation, and besides /par(r)alla/i-/ the form /parla/i-/ is equally likely. It is possible, but by no means provable on the basis of the available data, that the word is related to the adverbs /pari/ and /parran/ ‘before’. Only further evidence from HLuw. as well as cognate links to the other Anatolian languages can clear the matter up.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning of this word has so far remained in the dark (cf. e.g. Hawkins 2000a:537, 551), because it appears only once in the HLuw. corpus and its context of attestation is in part semantically opaque. In ASSUR letter f+g, §18 the clause runs: pa+ra/i-la-ri+i-ha-wa/i-tu-u (“*205”)á-tu-na-ri+i kwa/i-na-´ (“*69”)wa/i-za-na (“*69”)wa/i-zi-ha-na, approx. /par(r)alladi=ha=wa=du adunadi kwin wazzan wazzihan/, possibly translating as ‘Which requests I requested from you from/with the paralli- provisions, (send everything!)’ (cf. Melchert 1987a:198 and Hawkins 2000a:551). The word agrees with and modifies /adunadi/ ‘provisions’, but the context yields no further information as to its meaning. If the word should indeed be etymologically linked with the adverbs /pari/ and /parran/ ‘before’, its meaning would be expected to lie within the same semantic sphere, e.g. ‘afore’ vel sim., but this remains entirely hypothetical until further textual and etymological evidence has surfaced.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Should the phonological interpretation as /par(r)alla/i-/ be correct, the word is likely an adjective formation in /-alla/i-/. If, however, the assigned phonological shape turned out to be different, e.g. /parla/i-/, the underlying morphological structure would likewise diverge. At this point, nothing further can be said on the basis of the available data.
[AH.B.]