Liburnian language
Liburnian | |
---|---|
Native to | Southwestern Croatia |
Region | Southeast Europe |
Ethnicity | Liburnians |
Extinct | Late Antiquity |
Indo-European
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | xli |
xli | |
Glottolog | None |
The language spoken by the
Classification
No writings in Liburnian are known. The only presumed Liburnian linguistic remains are Liburnian toponyms and some family and personal names in Liburnia presumed to be native to the area, in Latinized form from the 1st century AD. Smaller differences found in the archaeological material of narrower regions in Liburnia are in a certain measure reflected also in these scarce linguistic remains. This has caused much speculation about the language but no certainty.
Features shared by Liburnian and other languages have been noted in Liburnian language remains, names and toponyms, dating from between the Iron Age and the beginning of Common Era. These are insufficient for a precise linguistic classification, other than a general indication that they have an Indo-European basis, but also may incorporate significant elements from Pre-Indo-European languages. This also appears to be the case in their social relations, and such phenomena are likely related to their separate cultural development, physical isolation and mixed ethnic origins.[1][2][3]
Following studies of the onomastics of the
Jürgen Untermann, who has focused on Liburnian and Venetic onomastics, considers that only the Liburnians at the north-eastern Istrian coast were strongly Venetic. Untermann has suggested three groups of Liburnian names: one structurally similar to those of the Veneti and Histri; another linked to the Dalmatae, Iapodes and other Illyrians on the mainland to the south of the Liburnians, and a third group of names that were common throughout Liburnian territory, and lacked any relation to those of their neighbors.[6][7]
Other proper names, such as those of local deities and toponyms also showed differing regional distributions. According to R. Katičić, Liburnian toponyms, in both structure and form, also demonstrate diverse influences, including Pre-Indo-European, Indo-European and other, purely local features. Katičić has also stated that toponyms were distributed separately along ethnic and linguistic lines.[8]
S. Čače has noted that it can not be determined whether Liburnian was more related to the North Adriatic language group (Veneti, Histri) or the languages of Iapodes and Dalmatae, due to the scarcity of evidence.[9] While the Liburnians differed significantly from the Histri and Veneti, both culturally and ethnically, they have been linked to the Dalmatae by their burial traditions.
Other toponymical and onomastic similarities have been found between Liburnia and other regions of both Illyria and
The old toponym Liburnum in
The Liburnians underwent
Onomastics
Anthroponyms
The single name plus
- Acaica
- Aetor
- Avitus (masc.), Avita (fem.)
- Boninus
- Cliticus
- Colatina
- Curticus
- Darmo
- Dumma
- Hosp(olis)
- Hostiducis (gen.)
- Hostiices
- Lambicus
- Malavicus
- Marica
- Menda
- Moicus
- Oclatinus
- Oeplus
- Opia
- Opiavus
- Oplus
- Plaetor, gen. Plaetoris. Found among the Veneti as Plaetorius; among the Illyrians as Plator, genitive Platoris. Attested as Pletor in an inscription found in the area of Ljubljana in Slovenia.
- Patalius
- Recus
- Suioca
- Tarnis
- Toruca
- Trosius
- Turus
- Vadica
- Velsouna (fem.)
- Viniocus
- Volaesa
- Volscus
- Volsetis (gen.)
- Volso
- Volsonus
- Volsounus (masc.), Volsouna (fem.)
- Volsus
- Voltimesis (gen.)
- Vol(l)tis(s)a
- Zupricus
The majority of the preceding names are unknown among the eastern and southern neighbors of the Liburnians (Dalmatae, etc.), yet many have Venetic complements. The following names are judged to be exclusively Liburnian, yet one (Buzetius) is also attested among the neighboring Iapodes to the north and northeast:
- Aeia
- Barcinus
- Buzetius
- Caminis (gen.)
- Ceunus
- Clausus
- Granp (...). Attested only in abbreviated form.
- Iaefus
- Lastimeis (gen. ?)
- Mamaester
- Pasinus
- Picusus
- Tetenus
- Vesclevesis (gen.). - The etymology is established. It is a compound, the initial element Ves-, from PIE *u̯esu- ('good'); the second element -cleves- (genitive suffix -is) from PIE *ḱleuos ('fame', ultimately from *ḱleu- 'to hear').[14][15][16]
- Virno[citation needed]
Theonyms
- Anzotica or Ansotica - the Liburnian
- Iicus - the only male Liburnian deity; worshipped in Aenona.[19]
- Iutossica - goddess worshipped in Albona.[20]
- Aitica - goddess worshipped in Albona.[21]
- Sentona - goddess worshipped in Tarsatica, among the Northern Liburni.[22]
- Latra - goddess worshipped in Nedinum, Corinium, Asseria and Scardona.[23]
Toponyms
See also
- Venetic language
- Italic languages
- Illyrian languages
References
- ^ D. Rendić-Miočević, Onomastičke studije s područja Liburna, Zbornik Instituta za historijske nauke u Zadru 1, 1955
- ^ M. Suić, Zapadne granice Ilira u svijetlu historijskih izvora, Simpozijum, 1966
- ISBN 953-6419-50-5, pages 65, 66
- ^ Géza Alföldy, Die Namensgebung der Urbevölkerung in der römischen Provinz Dalmatien. Beiträge zur Namenforschung 15, 1964
- ^ G. Alföldy, Die Personennamen im römischen Dalmatien, Heidelberg, 1969
- ^ J. Untermann, Die venetischen Personennamen, Wiesbaden, 1961
- ^ J. Untermann, Venetisches in Dalmatien, GCBI 5, 1970
- ^ R. Katičić, Ancient languages of the Balkans, Trends in linguistics 4, 5, The Hague and Paris, 1976
- ^ S. Čače, Liburnija u razdoblju od 4. do 1. st. prije nove ere, Zadar, 1985, 101-120
- ^ M. Zaninović, On some relations between Anatolia and Dalmatia, Proceedings of the Xth International Congress of Classical Studies, Ankara-Izmir, 20-30, Sept. 1973, Ankara 1978, 81-93
- ^ a b Zaninović, M. (22 December 1988). "Liburnia militaris". Opvscvla Archaeologica (in Croatian). 13 (1): 43–67.
- ^ M. Fluss, Liburni, PWRE. Bd. V, 583
- ^ M. Jokl in Ebert, Reallex. der Vorgeschichte, VI, 46-47
- JSTOR 40265223.
- JSTOR 40265417.
- ISBN 978-3-11-119733-3.
- ISBN 0-631-19807-5.
- .
- .
- .
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- .
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Sources
- Wilkes, John. The Illyrians. Blackwell Books, 1992.
- Untermann, J., Venetisches in Dalmatien, Godišnjak (Annuaire) CBI, Sarajevo. 5, 5-22.