𔖻𔑯𔗬𔖻𔓯
Luwian
Indo-European (Anatolian) · historical / hidden variety
Luwian was an Indo-European Anatolian language closely related to Hittite, attested across two distinct epigraphic traditions and roughly 1,000 years (~16th-7th c. BCE). Cuneiform Luwian appears in 14th-13th-c. BCE Hittite imperial archives at Hattusa. Hieroglyphic Luwian, written in distinctive Anatolian hieroglyphs (NOT related to Egyptian), survived the 1180 BCE Bronze Age collapse and was the official language of Iron Age Neo-Hittite/Luwian successor states (Tabal, Carchemish, Tabal, Hamath) until the 7th c. BCE Assyrian conquests. Decipherment of Anatolian hieroglyphs was completed in the 1970s.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Luwian
Water
𔓷𔗬𔖻𔑯
/wadar/
Fire
𔑭𔖖𔖖𔗬
/paːhːur/
Sun
𔖻𔗬𔑯
/tiwad/
Moon
𔓯𔗬
/arma/
Mother
𔑯𔑯
/anna/
Father
𔑯𔑯𔗬
/tati/
Eat
𔑯𔗬
/ad/
Drink
𔑯𔓷
/aku/
Love
𔓷𔗬𔓯
/walaːhi/
Heart
𔓷𔗬𔖻
/kard/
Tree
𔑯𔓯
/alana/
House
𔑭𔗬𔑯
/parna/
Dog
𔖻𔓷𔑯
/zuwana/
Cat
—
/—/
Hand
𔖻𔑯
/iʃʃa/
Eye
𔖖𔗬
/hidu/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
One
𔑯
/as/
Good
𔓷𔓷
/walwa/
Sources
- Melchert (2003) The Luwians
- Hawkins (2000) Corpus of Hieroglyphic Luwian Inscriptions
- Glottolog: luwi1235
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Anatolian) languages
| Meaning | Luwian | Hittite | Old Persian | Avestan | Scythian | Martu Wangka | Old Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 𔓷𔗬𔖻𔑯 /wadar/ | 𒉿𒀀𒋻 /waːtar/ | 𐎠𐎱 /aːpi/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ | ap /ap/ | kapi /kapi/ | 水 /midu/ |
| Fire | 𔑭𔖖𔖖𔗬 /paːhːur/ | 𒉺𒄩𒄴𒄯 /paxːur/ | 𐎠𐎫𐎼 /aːtar/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ | ātar /aːtar/ | waru /waɾu/ | 火 /pə/ |
| Sun | 𔖻𔗬𔑯 /tiwad/ | — /—/ | 𐏃𐎢𐎺𐎼 /huwar/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ | hvar /xʷar/ | tjirntu /cɪɳʈu/ | 日 /pi/ |
| Moon | 𔓯𔗬 /arma/ | 𒀀𒅈𒈠 /arma/ | 𐎶𐎠𐏃 /maːha/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ | māh /maːh/ | kayalany /kajalaɲ/ | 月 /tukï/ |
| Mother | 𔑯𔑯 /anna/ | 𒀭𒈾 /anːa/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎫𐎼 /maːtar/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ | mātar /maːtar/ | yakaji /jakaɟi/ | 母 /papa/ |
| Father | 𔑯𔑯𔗬 /tati/ | 𒀜𒋫 /atːa/ | 𐎱𐎡𐎫𐎠 /pitaː/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ | pitar /pitar/ | mama /mama/ | 父 /titi/ |
| Eat | 𔑯𔗬 /ad/ | 𒅕𒀀𒀜 /ed/ | 𐎧𐎼 /xar/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ | xwartan /xʷartan/ | ngalku- /ŋalku/ | 多夫 /tabu/ |
| Drink | 𔑯𔓷 /aku/ | 𒅔𒆪 /eku/ | 𐎱𐎠 /paː/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ | — /—/ | tjiki- /cɪki/ | 能牟 /nəmu/ |
| Love | 𔓷𔗬𔓯 /walaːhi/ | 𒀸𒅆𒅀𒀭 /asːijant/ | 𐎳𐎼𐎡𐎹 /frija/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ | — /—/ | mukulyu /mukuʎu/ | 加奈志 /kanasi/ |
| Heart | 𔓷𔗬𔖻 /kard/ | 𒆗𒁕 /kard/ | 𐏀𐎼𐎭 /zard/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ | zard- /zard/ | kurtu /kʊɻʈu/ | 心 /kəkərə/ |
| Tree | 𔑯𔓯 /alana/ | 𒋫𒊒 /taru/ | — /—/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ | — /—/ | watarrka /wataɻka/ | 木 /kə/ |
| House | 𔑭𔗬𔑯 /parna/ | 𒉺𒅕 /per/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎴𐎡𐎹 /maːnija/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ | — /—/ | ngurra /ŋura/ | 家 /ipey/ |
| Dog | 𔖻𔓷𔑯 /zuwana/ | 𒆪𒉿𒀭 /kuwan/ | 𐎿𐎱𐎣 /spaka/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ | spaka /spaka/ | papa /papa/ | 犬 /inu/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | 𔖻𔑯 /iʃʃa/ | 𒆠𒅖𒊭𒅈 /kesːar/ | 𐎭𐎿𐎫 /dasta/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ | zasta /zasta/ | mara /maɾa/ | 手 /ta/ |
| Eye | 𔖖𔗬 /hidu/ | 𒊭𒆪𒉿 /ʃakuwa/ | 𐏂𐏁𐎶𐎴 /tʃaʃman/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | kuru /kuɾu/ | 目 /ma/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | 𔑯 /as/ | 𒁹 /as/ | 𐎠𐎡𐎺 /aiwa/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ | aiwa /aiwa/ | kutjarra-wangu /kucara waŋu/ | 比登都 /pitətu/ |
| Good | 𔓷𔓷 /walwa/ | 𒀸𒋗 /asːu/ | 𐎴𐎡𐎲 /naiba/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ | vohu /wohu/ | palya /paʎa/ | 与之 /jo₁si/ |
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