Le mot carien pour ‘chef’, une nouvelle racine anatolienne et un changement phonétique carien-grec

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, I analyse the Carian gloss σουαγγελα, attested in Stephen of Byzantium. I propose that possible cognates of γελα ‘king’, the second element of the gloss, may be identified in Hittite, Hieroglyphic Luwian, Lycian, and possibly cuneiform Luwian. This analysis incidentally provides viable etymologies for certain Armenian lexemes, which can now be considered as loanwords from Anatolian languages (specifically Luwian). The new Carian etymology enables the reconstruction of an Anatolian root meaning ‘head’ (vel sim.), accounting for most Anatolian lexical material through conservation or trivial semantic shifts. Additionally, it offers evidence for a sound change that likely occurred during borrowing of words from Carian into Greek. In the final section, I tentatively propose that the first element of the compound σουαγγελα also reflects an authentic Carian word. Through this contribution, I aim to demonstrate that even a seemingly uncertain item like a gloss can prompt a reevaluation of a set of words and uncover previously unnoticed etymological connections.