The Etymology and Semantics of Oscan pukam
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Marco Mancini
Abstract
In an Oscan fragmentary dedication (ca. 2nd cent. BCE) […] hanuseis ・ pukam ・ pruffed, found in the area of the domus publica of Pietrabbondante, the hapax pukam is a remarkable addition to the Oscan lexicon. According to La Regina, Osc. pukā- means a kind of visible monument and stems from the Indo-European root *kwVḱ- “to see” but also “to appear”. This new word, which is thoroughly investigated in this paper from an etymological viewpoint, significantly increases the attested outcomes of a root that until now seemed productive only in Greek (τέκμωρ/τέκμαρ) and Indo-Iranian (Old Ind. cakṣ- “shine; appear; see”, cakṣate “appears”, cakṣas- “eye, gaze”, Old Pers. cašma, Avestan čašman- “eye”, Man. Parth. āgas “visible”, Middle-Pers. ākāh “informed, aware” etc.). On the basis of the productive Proto-Iranian morpheme *-kāśa- (> Old Persian *-kāθa- “be visible”), there is no doubt that Oscan pukam corresponds to a /ˈpukam/ with /u/ as an outcome of inherited *-ō-. Besides, the Oscan new entry allows us, albeit indirectly, to reconsider the Latin semantic field of terms such as statua/signum/effigies/simulacrum. Above all, it opens up the possibility of defining an analogous semantic subfield in Oscan, which was shared by both the well-attested segunum and the hapax pukā-.
Abstract
In an Oscan fragmentary dedication (ca. 2nd cent. BCE) […] hanuseis ・ pukam ・ pruffed, found in the area of the domus publica of Pietrabbondante, the hapax pukam is a remarkable addition to the Oscan lexicon. According to La Regina, Osc. pukā- means a kind of visible monument and stems from the Indo-European root *kwVḱ- “to see” but also “to appear”. This new word, which is thoroughly investigated in this paper from an etymological viewpoint, significantly increases the attested outcomes of a root that until now seemed productive only in Greek (τέκμωρ/τέκμαρ) and Indo-Iranian (Old Ind. cakṣ- “shine; appear; see”, cakṣate “appears”, cakṣas- “eye, gaze”, Old Pers. cašma, Avestan čašman- “eye”, Man. Parth. āgas “visible”, Middle-Pers. ākāh “informed, aware” etc.). On the basis of the productive Proto-Iranian morpheme *-kāśa- (> Old Persian *-kāθa- “be visible”), there is no doubt that Oscan pukam corresponds to a /ˈpukam/ with /u/ as an outcome of inherited *-ō-. Besides, the Oscan new entry allows us, albeit indirectly, to reconsider the Latin semantic field of terms such as statua/signum/effigies/simulacrum. Above all, it opens up the possibility of defining an analogous semantic subfield in Oscan, which was shared by both the well-attested segunum and the hapax pukā-.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface VII
- Contents IX
- List of Figures XI
- List of Tables XIII
- Priscian, the divisio graeca and the History of Word-formation in Graeco-Roman Grammar 1
- Dream Language and Dream Ideology: Echoes from the Memphis Serapeum 29
- A Tale of Coins and Suffixes: Syracusan Greek ἑξᾶς, Latin sextāns, and Congeners 53
- Dialects in Contact in the Ancient Kingdom of Macedon 59
- Onomastic Formulae from N. Epirus and S. Illyria: Lingustic and Sociocultural Connotations 83
- Dialect Contact and Koineization: The Case of the Greek Colonies of Aegean Thrace 115
- The Cappadocian Phrasal Compound παιρ-παίνω [per-péno] “Take Away” as an Example of Turkish Pattern Replication 139
- Ποσειδῶν, Ποσδαν, Paestum, and a Greek God in Lucanian Attire 163
- Motion and Posture Verbs in Multiverb Constructions: Evidence from the New Testament 185
- Contact and Interaction between Greeks and Messapians 215
- The Etymology and Semantics of Oscan pukam 251
- The Messapic Inscription from Grotta Poesia MLM 3 Ro: Analysis with Frame Semantics 283
- Latin uncia à la Heron 299
- List of Contributors 313
- General Index 317
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface VII
- Contents IX
- List of Figures XI
- List of Tables XIII
- Priscian, the divisio graeca and the History of Word-formation in Graeco-Roman Grammar 1
- Dream Language and Dream Ideology: Echoes from the Memphis Serapeum 29
- A Tale of Coins and Suffixes: Syracusan Greek ἑξᾶς, Latin sextāns, and Congeners 53
- Dialects in Contact in the Ancient Kingdom of Macedon 59
- Onomastic Formulae from N. Epirus and S. Illyria: Lingustic and Sociocultural Connotations 83
- Dialect Contact and Koineization: The Case of the Greek Colonies of Aegean Thrace 115
- The Cappadocian Phrasal Compound παιρ-παίνω [per-péno] “Take Away” as an Example of Turkish Pattern Replication 139
- Ποσειδῶν, Ποσδαν, Paestum, and a Greek God in Lucanian Attire 163
- Motion and Posture Verbs in Multiverb Constructions: Evidence from the New Testament 185
- Contact and Interaction between Greeks and Messapians 215
- The Etymology and Semantics of Oscan pukam 251
- The Messapic Inscription from Grotta Poesia MLM 3 Ro: Analysis with Frame Semantics 283
- Latin uncia à la Heron 299
- List of Contributors 313
- General Index 317
