The Hittite Verb pahs-a(ri/i); the Battle of the Hittite Inflections

The Hittite verbal system has two inflections: There is a division in active and medio-passive verbal forms. Although most Hittite verbs either contain forms of both inflections with a clear distinction between them in function, or they are activa or media tantum, the forms of the verb paḫš-a(ri)/i however occur in both inflections and seem to lack a clear distinction between these two inflections. Many scholars have stumbled over this verb and the statements about it in the dictionaries vary widely. Puhvel states in his Hittite Etymological Dictionary (1984) that there are some old traces of old vassal treaties attested, but the sources he names as examples are from the youngest period of Hittite. Besides, it is still strange that some forms are always inflected in the active inflection, while some forms are always in the medio-passive inflection and never in the active one. In this MA thesis I will try to answer the question what exactly determines whether an active or a medio...Show moreThe Hittite verbal system has two inflections: There is a division in active and medio-passive verbal forms. Although most Hittite verbs either contain forms of both inflections with a clear distinction between them in function, or they are activa or media tantum, the forms of the verb paḫš-a(ri)/i however occur in both inflections and seem to lack a clear distinction between these two inflections. Many scholars have stumbled over this verb and the statements about it in the dictionaries vary widely. Puhvel states in his Hittite Etymological Dictionary (1984) that there are some old traces of old vassal treaties attested, but the sources he names as examples are from the youngest period of Hittite. Besides, it is still strange that some forms are always inflected in the active inflection, while some forms are always in the medio-passive inflection and never in the active one. In this MA thesis I will try to answer the question what exactly determines whether an active or a medio-passive form of paḫš-a(ri)/i is used, after providing a more general introduction to inflections and their functions in Indo-European and in Hittite. To be able to find an answer, it is necessary to first investigate which forms of paḫš-a(ri)/i are attested in different text periods of Hittite, after having designate the usable data. It is important to look whether the active and medio-passive forms occur in all Hittite periods or whether there is a chronological division visible. Secondly, I will look whether there are Hittite texts found in which both active and medio-passive forms of paḫš-a(ri)/i occur and look at the context to see whether I could assign a distinction in function between the two inflections.Show less

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The Hittite Verb pahs-a(ri/i); the Battle of the Hittite Inflections