qirza-
‘designated property (?)’
- Language
- Lycian B
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 625
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Lycian B
qirza-
‘designated property (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in both Lycian B metrical inscriptions.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| acc. sg. | qirzã | TL 55.8 (Antiphellos) | |
| gen. pl. | qirzẽ | TL 44c.52 (Xanthos), | |
| TL 44c.54 (Xanthos) | |||
| qir{:}zẽ | TL 55.3 (Antiphellos) |
The form qirzẽ is analyzed as accusative singular in Shevoroshkin 1977b:117, DLL:127 and Schürr 2005a:149. This cannot be retained if we take the form qirzã acc. sg. c. as belonging to the same lexeme, which is very likely. Contra Schürr (ibid.), it is not necessary to posit a neuter singular with a vocalic vacillation -ẽ/-ã. Moreover, the syntax in TL 44c.52f. does not favor the interpretation as accusative (pace Schürr ibid.), since the sentence already contains a direct object in the accusative plural (trm̃miliz… tuburiz… xuzruwẽtiz).
[D.S.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
The word divider found between qir and zẽ in qir{:}zẽ is taken as erroneous; cf. Schürr 2005a:125, 149.
[D.S.]
1.1.4Meaning
The contexts in which the word qirza- occurs are obscure. Based on its strange shape, one can assume that it is a compound made of qir- + za-. The second member would be equated with the Lycian A noun za- ‘share, allotment’. Shevoroshkin 2002a:219, 230 (and Shevoroshkin 2002c:412) suggests the meaning ‘share, portion’, although one would expect the compound to have a slightly different meaning than the base za-. Using comparative evidence from another Anatolian language, we equate the semantics of Lyc. B qirza- n. with the ones of Lyd. cẽqra- n. ‘designated property’ (see under lexeme), analyzed as a compound cẽ- + qr-a-. Thus, Lyc. B qir- would equate Lyd. -qr-a- and Lyc. B -za- Lyd. cẽ-. The differences would be in the order of the two members of the compound and in the gender of this one. The semantic interpretation remains tentative until contextual evidence is found.
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction
The tentative assignment of the first member of the Lyc. B compound qir-za- to the root *ku̯er implies that the labiovelar could not be before a front vowel (Sideltsev & Yakubovich 2016a:121). Therefore, we posit a zero-grade of the root *ku̯r-, in which the labio-velar would have been retained in front of the resonant. The outcome would be qr- + -za-. The position of the resonant within a closed syllable would have given rise to an anaptyptic vowel -i-, i.e. *qrza- > qirza-. For a second example of this sound change see under sbirte-.
[D.S.]
For the first member of the compound see PAnat. *ku̯ḗr-/ku̯ér-.