/a(n)tass(i)-/ or /a(n)tassassa-/, a-ta-sà-(sa-)
‘(unknown)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 705
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/a(n)tass(i)-/ or /a(n)tassassa-/, a-ta-sà-(sa-)
‘(unknown)’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is a hapax legomenon, attested once on a lead strip fragment from Tabal. It is dated to mid- or late 8th century BCE.
[AH.B.]
1.1.2Forms
| unclear | /a(n)tassas(sa)/ | a-ta-sà-sa | KULULU lead frag. 3, 3 (Tabal) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of this lexeme is tentative, because it has so far remained unconnected to cognates within the HLuw. corpus or indeed the other Anatolian languages. As HLuw. spelling conventions omit pre-consonantal /n/, it is possible, though by no means certain, that the first syllable includes one. Interpreting the ending of the attested word depends on whether the form constitutes a gen. sg. or a dat./loc. sg.; see discussion of stem below.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The highly formulaic structure of the KULULU lead strips and related fragments permits a basic morphological interpretation of the word, i.e. that it must be a noun showing gen. sg. or dat./loc. sg. inflection. The passage in question reads: ˹220˺? ˹“HORDEUM”˺-za a-ta-sà-sa hi+ra/i-ni DARE-mi-na and translates as ‘˹220˺ (measures of) ˹barley˺ are to be given to the a(n)tassassa? gate/palace’.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The shape of the stem depends on which of the possible morphological interpretations is correct. If the form is indeed a gen. sg. /a(n)tassas/, then the lexeme would appear to be a consonantal stem /a(n)tass(i)-/, and as these are usually subject to i-mutation, it is reasonable to assume that the present word would be no exception in this respect. The gen. sg. ending here would represent the more widely distributed form /-as(a)/ rather than /-asi/, which is temporally and geographically much more limited (Bauer 2014a:146f.). If, however, the form is a dat./loc. sg. /a(n)tassassa/, then the stem would be an a-stem /a(n)tassassa-/ and not mutated.
[AH.B.]