Anatolian languages

Anatolian languages

The Anatolian languages are a group of extinct Indo-European languages, which were spoken in Asia Minor, the best attested of them being the Hittite language.

Origins

The Anatolian branch is generally considered the earliest to split off the Proto-Indo-European language, from a stage referred to either as Indo-Hittite or "Middle PIE", typically a date in the mid-4th millennium BC is assumed. In a Kurgan framework, there are two possibilities of how early Anatolian speakers could have reached Anatolia: from the north via the Caucasus, and from the west, via the Balkans [While models assuming an Anatolian PIE homeland of course do not assume any migration at all, and the model assuming an Armenian homeland assumes straightforward immigration from the East.] , with the Balkans route being considered somewhat more likely by Mallory (1989) and Steiner (1990).

Languages

*Hittite ("nesili"), attested from ca. 1600 BC to 1100 BC, official language of the Hittite Empire.
*Luwian ("luwili"), a close relative of Hittite spoken in adjoining regions sometimes under Hittite control.
**Cuneiform Luwian, glosses and short passages in Hittite texts written in Cuneiform script.
**Hieroglyphic Luwian, written in Anatolian hieroglyphs on seals and in rock inscriptions.
*Lycian (Lycian A; standard Lycian), spoken in Lycia in the Iron Age, a descendant of Luwian, extinct in ca. the 1st century BC, fragmentary.
**Milyan, also called Lycian B, a dialect of Lycian, known from a single inscription.
*Carian, spoken in Caria, fragmentarily attested from graffiti by Carian mercenaries in Egypt from ca. the 7th century BC, extinct ca. in the 3rd century BC.
*Pisidian and Sidetic (Pamphylian), fragmentary.
*Palaic, spoken in north-central Anatolia, extinct around the 13th century BC, known only fragmentarily from quoted prayers in Hittite texts.
*Lydian, spoken in Lydia, extinct in ca. the 1st century BC, fragmentary.

There were likely other languages of the family that have left no written records, such as the languages of Mysia, Cappadocia and Paphlagonia.

Extinction

Anatolia was heavily Hellenized following the conquests of Alexander the Great, and it is generally thought that by the 1st century BC the native languages of the area were extinct. This makes Anatolian the first known branch of Indo-European to become extinct, the only other known branch that has no living descendants being Tocharian, which ceased to be spoken around the 8th century.

Features

Hittite seems to exhibit a simpler morphology than others of the older Indo-European languages. Some Indo-European characteristics seem to have disappeared in Hittite, and other IE language branches developed different innovations. Hittite contains a number of archaisms that have disappeared from other IE languages. Notably, Hittite has no IE gender system opposing masculine : feminine; instead it exhibits a rudimentary noun class system based on an older animate : inanimate opposition.

It has been proposed that the Tyrsenian and the wider Aegean language family are related to the Anatolian branch, but in mainstream linguistics the evidence in support of such claims is not considered conclusive.

ee also

* Indo-Hittite
* Language families and languages
* Aegean languages

Notes

References

*J.P. Mallory, "In Search of the Indo-Europeans", Thames and Hudson Ltd., London (1989).
*G. Steiner, "The immigration of the first Indo-Europeans into Anatolia reconsidered", JIES 18 (1990), 185–214.
*Patri, Sylvain (2007), "L'alignement syntaxique dans les langues indo-européennes d'Anatolie", "(StBoT 49)", Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, ISBN 978-3-447-05612-0

External links

* [http://idcs0100.lib.iup.edu/WestCivI/anatolian_languages.htm Anatolian Languages] (by D. E. Landon)
* [http://www.geocities.com/linguaeimperii/Anatolian/anatolian_es.html "Lenguas Anatolias"] , "Linguæ Imperii". (in Spanish) – includes map and timeline of Anatolian languages.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Anatolian languages — Branch of the Indo European language family spoken in Anatolia in the 2nd–1st millennia BC. The attested Anatolian languages are Hittite, Palaic, Luwian (Luvian), Hieroglyphic Luwian, Lycian, and Lydian. Hittite, by far the most copiously… …   Universalium

  • Anatolian — means of or pertaining to Anatolia (in what is now Turkey), or a person from Anatolia, including:Biology * Anatolian Black, a breed of cattle. * Anatolian buffalo, a domestic animal of Anatolia. * Anatolian bump, a possible racial feature of… …   Wikipedia

  • Anatolian — n. native or resident of Anatolia adj. of or pertaining to Anatolia; of or relating to the people or culture of Anatolia n. extinct family of Anatolian languages that were spoken in ancient Anatolia that included Hittite and other nonexistent… …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Anatolian High School — is a specific term used in Turkey to indicate public or state high schools that admit their students based on the Nationwide High School Entrance score. Anatolian high schools were established as alternatives to expensive private schools teaching …   Wikipedia

  • Anatolian beyliks — Anatolian Turkish Beyliks map. Anatolian beyliks, Turkish beyliks or Turkmen beyliks (Turkish: Anadolu Beylikleri, Ottoman Turkish: Tevâif i mülûk, Beylik Turkish pronunciation: [bejlic]) were small Turkish Muslim …   Wikipedia

  • Anatolian hieroglyphs — are an indigenous logographic script native to central Anatolia, consisting of some 500 signs. They were once commonly known as Hittite hieroglyphs, but the language they encode proved to be Luwian, not Hittite, and the term Luwian hieroglyphs is …   Wikipedia

  • Anatolian — [an΄ə tō′lēən] adj. 1. of Anatolia or its peoples, languages, or cultures 2. designating or of a group of extinct Indo European languages of ancient Anatolia, including Hittite n. a person born or living in Anatolia …   English World dictionary

  • Anatolian hypothesis — Indo European topics Indo European languages (list) Albanian · Armenian · Baltic Celtic · Germanic · Greek Indo Iranian (Indo Aryan, Iranian) Italic  …   Wikipedia

  • Anatolian religion — Introduction       beliefs and practices of the ancient peoples and civilizations of Turkey and Armenia, including the Hittites, Hattians, Luwians, Hurrians, Assyrian colonists, Urartians, and Phrygians. For historical background, see Anatolia.… …   Universalium

  • Anatolian — noun Date: 1590 1. a native or inhabitant of Anatolia and specifically of the western plateau lands of Turkey in Asia 2. a branch of the Indo European language family that includes a group of extinct languages of ancient Anatolia see Indo… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”