/muwatta-/, mu-wa/i-ta-
‘conquest’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, n.
- ID
- 3526
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/muwatta-/, mu-wa/i-ta-
‘conquest’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is a hapax legomenon in the HLuw. corpus. It is attested once in the Tabal region and dates to the mid-8th century BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom./acc. pl. or coll. | /muwatta/ | mu-wa/i-tax | TOPADA, §29 (Tabal) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
This lexeme is one of the few attestations of the formations around /muwa-(i)/ ‘to control, conquer’ to be written fully syllabically and without even a logographic determinative. The spelling leaves little room for doubt, although the sign forms used are unusual, but that is expected in the context of this inscription, which features many idiosyncratic sign forms.
Long interpreted as /muwattan/, i.e. an acc. sg. of a common gender noun (see e.g. Hawkins 2000a:459), it is now clear that the preceding word does not represent an acc. sg. c. indefinite pronoun /kwin=ha/, but an adverb /kwihha/ ‘in any way’.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
Despite being attested only once, the meaning of /muwatta-/ can be regarded as fairly certain both on morphological as well as on contextual grounds. The noun is an abstract (cf. Hawkins 2000a:459) and is indubitably closely linked to the noun /muwa-/ ‘power, might (?)’ and the verb /muwa-(i)/ ‘to control, conquer’.
Moreover, the context provides ample support for just such an interpretation. Thus, the word appears in a section of the text that contrasts someone having a victory taken away from him by the storm-god with the success of another person (the author) at TOPADA, §29: a-wa/i5 NEG2 kwa/ix-ha mu-wa/i-tax i-zi/a-ia-tà, approx. /a=wa na kwihha muwatta izziyada/, probably meaning ‘He (scil. the enemy) made no conquest in any way’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:454). In typical fashion regarding military success, the author then goes on to detail which deities he requited for the assistance rendered. It is therefore very likely that /muwatta-/ means ‘conquest’ rather than ‘control’ vel sim., which would also be possible on the basis of the verb.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The noun /muwatta-/ is formed with the suffix /-tt(a)-/ (cf. Melchert 2003b:196), which forms denominal neuter gender nouns, although the noun here could be a plurale tantum.
[AH.B.]