targa/um(i)annu (turgumannu)
‘interpreter’
- Language
- Old Assyrian
- Grammar
- subst
- ID
- 3772
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Miscellaneous
Old Assyrian targa/um(i)annu (turgumannu)
‘interpreter’1.1.1Transmission
The attestations of the lexeme are spread widely across periods (from Old to New Assyrian, from Old to New Babylonian) and regions (Anatolia, Mesopotamia, El Amarna and Ras Shamra).
[E.R.]
1.1.2Forms
For forms and citations, see von Soden 1989a, AHw:1329, CAD T:228f., and Dercksen 2007a:37.
[E.R.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The variation a/u of the first vowel goes back to co-articulation effects of the labiovelar *kw in the Luwian source word, in which probably the whole cluster /rkwm/ featured a strong labialization. The same applies necessarily to any anaptyctic vowel that speakers of Old Assyrian and other Semitic languages would have to insert in order to split the three-consonant cluster, whence the same variation a/u in the second syllable. In contrast Starke 1993a:34f. tries to explain the -u- vocalism of the first syllable as a feature that emerged in the course of the borrowing process from Luwian to Assyrian. However, the two explanations are not mutually exclusive, rather both tendencies may have led to the result observable in the attested spellings.
For the apparent “insertion” of -i- before the -annu- suffix, see under Stem.
[E.R.]
1.1.4Meaning
The translation of the lexeme as ‘interpreter’ is generally accepted and reiterated in handbooks and articles, e.g. von Soden 1989a, AHw:1329, Starke 1993a, HEG T:181f., CAD T:228f., Dercksen 2007a:37, Kloekhorst 2019b:50, Simon 2020h. Thus, the meaning of the derived noun is specialized vis-à-vis the Luwian base verb tarkumm(a)i-(di) ‘to report, pass on verbally’.
[E.R.]
1.1.5Stem
In the past decades, most scholars (Dercksen 2007a:37,Goedegebuure 2008a:172, Yakubovich 2010d:208 n. 2; an exception is Vernet & Vernet 2019a:1130) have agreed that targa/um(i)annu, turgumannu represent borrowings from Luwian. They largely follow the argument by Starke 1993a:22-29 that the stem formation of the former two with the suffixes -m(ma)n- > -mm- for neuter abstracts + possessive -ann(i)- is Luwian in origin. Also, targumiannu can be easily parsed with Luwian derivational morphemes, viz. -m(ma)n- > -mm- for neuter abstracts + -i-(ti) for denominal verbs + -a- for common gender action nouns + possessive -ann(i)-. While Simon 2020h:613 accepts the Luwian origin, he differs from Starke in interpreting the internal -mm- as the Luwian participial formant -mma/i-.
Regarding the word-final suffix -annu (also -nnu) that was used to integrate formally borrowings into Old Assyrian, Dercksen 2007a:41 (and Giusfredi, Matessi & Pisaniello 2023a:78 with references of earlier views) suggests that “various word formations of different languages may have led to the endings -annum and -innum in Cappadocian loanwords. Occasionally the suffix -n(n)- originates from the Cuneiform Luwian suffix -ann(i)-, whereas a small number of originally Hurrian words contain the Hurrian suffix -ni.” The case of targa/um(i)annu may have well been one of those words in which the resegmentation took place first. In spite of Simon’s (Simon 2020h:611) skepticism, Dercksen’s scenario covers the facts.
[E.R.]
1.1.6Origin
For the widely consensual view that, judging by the stem formation, targa/um(i)annu, are borrowings from Luwian, see under Stem.Recently, Kloekhorst 2019b:50 suspected that CLuw. tarkumm(a)i-(di), Hitt. tarkummiye/a-(mi) and OAss. targumanum/turgumianum ‘interpreter’ are borrowed from common, but unknown source, which is the least provable and most uneconomical solution. Earlier attempts of the same kind are listed in Simon 2020h:609 n. 6.
[E.R.]
For the lemma head see CLuw. *tar(k)u-.