Lydian language
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| Lydian | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Lydia | |
| Language extinction: | 1st c. BC | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Anatolian Lydian |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | xlyd | |
| ISO 639-3: | xld
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Lydian was an Indo-European language spoken in the region of Lydia in western Anatolia (present-day Turkey). It belongs to the Anatolian group of the Indo-European language family. Within this group, it occupies a unique position due to a number of features not shared with the other Anatolian languages. It is not presently known whether these represent unique developments in pre-Lydian or the retention of archaic features lost in the other Anatolian languages. Craig Melchert, a leading authority of Anatolian languages, says:[1]
the position of Lydian within the Anatolian group is unique and problematic...Lydian undeniably shows a number of features which are not shared by any other language of the Anatolian group. The limited evidence makes assessment of this fact difficult: are these unique features archaisms preserved only in Lydian, or do they result from a series of peculiarly pre-Lydian developments? Until a more satisfactory answer to this question is available, the status of Lydian within Anatolian will remain a "special" one.
Lydian is attested in coin legends of the 7th century BC and in some 100 inscriptions dating to the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The inscriptions include many epitaphs (inscriptions on funerary stelae) but also many short graffiti. The epitaphs typically begin with eś wãnaś "this grave".
Lydian became extinct around the first century BC, giving way to Greek.
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[edit] Writing system
The Lydian alphabet was closely related to the other alphabets of Asia Minor as well as to the Greek alphabet.
[edit] Phonology
Lydian has seven vowels: a, e, i, o, u with in addition two nasal vowels: ã, ẽ, the sound of a vowel before a nasal consonant. In the case of ã it is an. The difference between ã and ẽ is debatable. Y is used rarely to indicate a modified i or e, the modification being debatable.[2]
Lydian is notable for its extensive consonant clusters, which resulted from the loss of word-final short vowels together with massive syncope.
[edit] Morphology
Nouns and adjectives distinguish singular and plural forms and occur in two genders, animate and inanimate. Only three cases are securely attested: nominative, accusative, and dative-locative. There may have been other cases that remain unknown due to the paucity of material.
[edit] Syntax
The basic word order is Subject-Object-Verb, but constituents may be extraposed to the right of the verb. Lydian had at least one postposition. Modifiers of the noun normally precede the noun.
[edit] Sample Lydian text
A notable inscription is an Aramaic-Lydian bilingual found at Sardis, with eight lines of the Lydian text preserved (the first line of the text was destroyed):
- [o]raλ islλ bakillλ est mrud eśśk [wãnaś]
- laqrisak qelak kudkit ist esλ wãn[aλ]
- bλtarwod akad manelid kumlilid silukalid akit n[ãqis]
- esλ mruλ buk esλ wãnaλ buk esνaν
- laqirisaν bukit kud ist esλ wãnaλ bλtarwo[d]
- aktin nãqis qelλk fẽnsλifid fakmλ artimuś
- ibśimsis artimuk kulumsis aaraλ biraλk
- kλidaλ kofuλk qiraλ qelλk bilλ wcbaqẽnt
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Fortson, Benjamin W. (2004). Indo-European Language and Culture : an Introduction. Malden: Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0316-7.
- Gérard, Raphaël (2005). Phonétique et morphologie de la langue lydienne. Peeters. ISBN:9042915749. French language text.
- Gusmani, R. Lydisches Wörterbuch. Mit grammatischer Skizze und Inschriftensammlung, Heidelberg 1964 (Ergänzungsband 1-3, Heidelberg 1980-1986).
- Melchert, H. Craig (2004) "Lydian", in Roger D. Woodard (ed.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56256-2. pp. 601-608.
- Shevoroshkin, V. The Lydian Language, Moscow, 1977.
