wakka(k)a-(di)
‘to make fat’
- Language
- Palaic
- Grammar
- verb
- ID
- 759
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Palaic
wakka(k)a-(di)
‘to make fat’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is found in the festival for the Palaic pantheon.
[D.S.]
1.1.2Forms
| part. nom./acc. sg. n. | wa-ak-ka4-kán-ta | KUB 35.165 rev. 13’ | (CTH 751, OS or MS) |
| wa-ak-ka-kán-ta | KBo 48.178 iv 11’ | (CTH 751, NS) | |
| wa-a-ak-kán-ta | KBo 48.178 iv 10’ | (CTH 751, NS) | |
| wa-ak-ka-kán[-ta] | KBo 48.178 iv 9’ | (CTH 751, NS) | |
| [wa-ak-ka-ká]n-ta | KBo 48.178 iv 11’ | (CTH 751, NS) | |
| part. nom./acc. pl. n. | wa-ak-ka4-kán-ta | KUB 35.165 rev. 12’ | (CTH 751, OS or MS) |
| [wa-ak-ka-ká]n-ta | KBo 48.178 iv 9’ | (CTH 751, NS) |
There are mainly two ways to grammatically interpret wakkakanta, i.e. as a 3rd plural present medio-passive in -anta, or as a participle in the nominative/accusative singular or plural neuter. The former loses credibility in face of the interpretation of the subject aškumāuwa=ga ‘these sacrificial meats’ as collective plural, because we would expect a singular agreement with the verb; cf. tīlila ḫāri (KBo 19.152 + KBo 27.77 i 14’). Therefore, the latter interpretation as a participle is preferred; cf. Melchert 1984b:29 n. 8, Eichner 2010a:53.
All instances of wakkakanta within the New Hittite text KBo 48.178 iv 9’-11’ appear to be inflected in the same way as the first one. However, since the word-final cluster *-nt is retained in Palaic (cf. Melchert 1994a:224), nt-stems cannot distinguish graphically between the neuter singular -an-ta /-ant/ and plural -an-ta /-anta/ (contra van den Hout 2001a:180f.).
[D.S.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
Checked against the photographs in the Konkordanz (Mainzer Fotoarchiv).
[D.S.]
1.1.4Meaning
Eichner (apud Melchert 1994a:192) suggests an etymological connection with Hitt. warkant-/wakkant- ‘fat’ and translates the Palaic verb accordingly. Furthermore, he compares the use of Hittite warkant- with reference to sacrificial animals; cf. Eichner 2010a:51-54. The semantic assignment is convincing, because the speaker tries to draw the attention of the god Ziparwa by emphasizing how delicious the sacrificial meats are, strongly suggesting that the meats have been covered in fat.
In contrast, Tischler (HEG W-Z:212) follows Carruba 1972a:25f. with the meaning ‘to divide, distribute’, which is less persuasive, because the verb only occurs with the sacrificial meats, but not with the bread and the drinks also offered within the ritual. The earlier semantic interpretation ‘to bite’ by etymological comparison with Hitt. wāk-/wakk-(ḫi) ‘to bite’ suggested by Otten 1944a:131 n. 21 (followed by Kammenhuber 1959a:28, Carruba 1970a:77) does not fit the context; cf. Carruba 1972a:25f., Eichner 2010a:51-54.
[D.S.]
1.1.5Stem
The presence of a single spelled velar in the stem and its possible omission (see KBo 48.178 iv 10’) is reminiscent of the type of denominatives in -a(g)a-(di), i.e. takkuwa(g)a-(di), panā(g)a-(di). Therefore, the verb is categorized under this class, i.e. wakka(k)a-(di). Differently, Melchert 1984b:29 assumes a graphic peculiarity and reads the verb as wakkakanta (followed by van den Hout 2001a:180), which is not necessary and a difficult hypothesis to sustain in face of the high number of occurrences for this spelling.
[D.S.]
2. Reconstruction
2.1Reconstruction ‘to make fat’
The association of Pal. wakka(k)a-(di) ‘to make fat’ with Hitt. warkant- ‘fat’ requires some exceptional phonological rules regarding other cases of the sequence -rk- in Palaic, e.g. šarkut-. The Hittite word wark-ant- is reconstructed as belonging to the root *u̯erg̑-, i.e. with a voiced velar *g̑; cf. Melchert 1994a:192, EDHIL:964, HEG W-Z:332f. One could assume an assimilation of -rk- > -kk-, if one assumes that it only happens with *g̑. However, independent confirmation is missing. Melchert 1994a:125, 153, 221f. refers to the Hittite sporadic loss of -r- between a vowel and a consonant as well as the fortition of a stop after -r-, in order to account for the phonology of Pal. wa-ak-ka4-kán-ta. Although this is entirely plausible, to use these sporadic sound changes as explanations for a language as poorly attested as Palaic is hazardous and, therefore, a more regular sound change would be preferred. For a summary of the literature on this phenomenon see Kimball 1999a:353f. Nevertheless, the equation of the Hittite and Palaic cognates remains solid. The Palaic verb wakka(k)a-(di) is here analyzed as a denominative in *-eh2-i̯e/o- derived from a non-attested action noun *wakka-, which would be based on a verbal stem cognate to Hittite wark-.
[D.S.]
3. Proto-Indo-European
3.1Semantic Reconstruction
Although Vedic (ūrjā́-), Greek (ὀργή), and Old Irish (ferg) continue an eh2-stem, which might be the derivational base of Pal. wakka(k)a-(di) ‘to make fat’, it is, in view of the strongly deviating semantics, best to interpret them as secondary formations. For Anatolian, one would reconstruct the meaning ‘fatness’ while Greek and Celtic point to ‘natural impulse’ (positive or negative), and Indo-Iranian has an original meaning like ‘nourishment’ or ‘juice’. Thus, for further semantic reconstruction, cf. Root etymology below.
3.1.1Root etymology
Comparing the Anatolian data (Pal. wakka(k)a-(di) ‘to make fat’, etc.) esp. with Ved. ū́rj- ‘nourishment; juice’ reminds of the continuants of the root PIE 1.*pei̯H- ‘to swell’ (LIV²:464f.). Gk. πῖαρ n. ‘fat’, Ved. pīvará- ‘id.’, on the one hand, stand besides Ved. páyate ‘to swell, abound, overflow’, páyas- n. ‘juice, milk; power, strength’, cf. Čop 1955c:31. In view of this parallel, it is permitted to connect the notion ‘fat’ via ‘swollen’ with the emotional states attested in Greek and Celtic. Furthermore, the different meanings of Ved. ū́rj- may all be derived from ‘juice’, ‘to ooze’ vel sim. Thus, the root can be semantically approximated as PIE *u̯erHg̑- ‘to swell (from juice)’.
3.2Morphological Reconstruction
Despite Pal. wakka(k)a-(di) ‘to make fat’ goes back to PAnat. *u̯Erg̑-éh2-i̯e/o- and three further branches of PIE attest lexemes that may go back to an eh2-stem PIE *u̯(E)rHg̑-eh2-, it cannot be reconstructed for PIE. Firstly, Ved. ūrjā́- is most likely an inner-Vedic formation (cf. AiGr II,2:261); secondly, the meanings are regarded as too different; lastly, there are at least two ablaut grades attested: e-grade in Celtic, o-grade in Greek and probably also in Anatolian. Thus, no reconstruction of a PIE stem can be given.
3.2.1Root etymology
The root underlying Pal. wakka(k)a-(di) ‘to make fat’ etc. is reconstructed in two ways: for example, Beekes (EDG: 1097) and Matasović (EDPC:414) reconstruct PIE *u̯erg̑- while Mayrhofer 2005a:90 (cf. also EWAia I:242), Kloekhorst (EDHIL:964) and Zair 2012a:186f. (cf. also 199–201 on *R.HP > *R.P) reconstruct PIE *u̯erHg̑- or, more precisely, *u̯erh1g̑- (as per Kloekhorst and Mayrhofer in EWAia I). The reason to assume a laryngeal between the resonant and the palato-velar (cf. Av. ‑z‑) is the long ū- in the Vedic stem ūrj- (< *u̯R̥Hg̑-). In Gk. ὀργ- and probably also in PAnat. *u̯Erg̑- the laryngeal is lost by de Saussure’s Law (*u̯orHg̑- > *u̯org̑-). However, when it comes to the color of the laryngeal, no decision can be taken on the basis of the available material. Thus, the root in question is reconstructed as *u̯erHg̑- ‘to swell (from juice)’.
[A.O.]
4. Transmission
No direct cognates are attested.
Ved. ū́rj- f., ūrjā́- f. ‘nourishment, juice; power, strength’ (RV+), ūrjá- m. ‘(name of a month)’ (Kāṭh+)
EWAia I:242f., KEWA I:116, Grassmann 1996a:242f., Schindler 1972b:13
OAv. loc. sg. varǝzī f. ‘nourishing vigor’ (hapax, Y.45.9), YAv. varǝz- f. ‘invigorant’
Bartholomae 1904:1378, 1379
OIr. ferg f. ‘wrath; excitement’
EDPC:414, eDIL s.v. 1 ferg