<論文>ヒッタイト語における不規則な3人称複数過去語尾-ar

Abstract

The plural endings for the indicative active verb in Hittite are basically the same for mi- and ḫi-verbs. In the 3 pl. preterite -er is overwhelmingly prevalent, but there are some irregular 3 pl. preterites in -ar. They are uemii̯ar ʻthey foundʼ, ḫānii̯ar ʻthey drew itʼ, and šaušii̯ar ʻthey scoutedʼ. A detailed philological analysis reveals that they share one important common feature: they are all root-accented i̯e/o-verbs. The Anatolian languages lost word final -r at the Proto-Anatolian stage when it was not immediately preceded by the accent. As a result, the verbs with posttonic ‘-i̯e- dropped -r (*́‘-i̯er> *́‘-i̯e). Since the verbs with posttonic ‘-i̯e- were a minor class, it is only natural to assume that they recovered the final -r by analogy (*́‘-i̯e → *́‘-i̯er). The most straightforward way of deriving -i̯ar from its pre-Hittite form *́‘-i̯er is obviously a phonological rule by which posttonic *́‘-er becomes -ar in Hittite, whereas the accented -ér remains unchanged. This is a one man sound change because there are not any additional cases in which this rule was applicable after word final -r was analogically restored. However, phonological behavior parallel to this supposed sound change is observed in word final *‘-eN: Proto-Anatolian *́‘-eN becomes Hittite -aN whereas Proto-Anatolian *‘-éN becomes Hittite -eN. It should be noted that the 3 pl. preterites in -ar, i. e. ṷemiĭar, ḫāniĭar, and šapašii̯ar are attested in a relatively early period of Hittite. The conclusion is inescapable that these forms are precious examples of remarkable antiquity that resisted the analogical generalization of -er.