Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2008. - 468 p. + 75 p. + 3 p.
Part 1: Reference Grammar
Part 2: Tutorial
Preface
This book originated in supplementary teaching materials developed by the authors
for classroom instruction. Several generations have leaed Hittite with the help of the
outstanding Hethitisches Elementarbuch of Johannes Friedrich (second edition: 1960).
However, the passage of more than 40 years has inevitably rendered parts of Friedrich’s
grammar outdated or incomplete. A number of recent works have tried to address current
instructional needs. Our own efforts to procure or produce teaching materials for the
classroom led us to conclude that the time had come for a more comprehensive reference
grammar of Hittite, along the lines of Wolfram von Soden’s Grundri? der akkadischen
Grammatik (latest posthumous edition in 1995), that could also serve as the basis for an
accompanying set of graded lessons for language leaers.
No descriptive grammar can ever pretend to be truly definitive. We have done our
best to incorporate and synthesize the advances made since the work of Friedrich and to
make this grammar as broad and up-to-date in coverage as possible. We ask indulgence
in advance for the inevitable omissions and inadequacies. On points where there is no
consensus, we have not hesitated to make reasoned choices, while striving to acknowledge
different points of view. Our primary goal has been to describe the language systematically
as it appears in the extant texts. We have referred to prehistoric factors only
where we feel that they help elucidate features of attested Hittite or are of broad interest.
We expressly disavow any intent of systematic coverage in this regard.
One of the most dramatic changes in Hittitology since 1960 has been our enhanced
ability to establish a relative chronology not only of texts (recognized since the earliest
days of the field) but also of individual copies of those texts, often written many years
after the text’s composition. We have sought to give full recognition to established findings
in this area, but our initial intention of assigning Old, Middle, or New Hittite status
to all cited forms in the paradigms proved to be overly optimistic. Many issues about the
dating of texts and manuscripts remain unresolved. We have therefore limited ourselves
to marking consistently only examples assured as Old Hittite by their appearance in copies
from the Old Hittite period (OS = Old Script). We have otherwise been selective in
making what we take to be valid generalizations about the date of various phenomena
in appropriate passages in the grammar. Further refinements must be left for the future,
including in installments of the ongoing major lexica.
The tutorial is a series of graded lessons arranged in a typical fashion. Major morphological
categories are introduced a few at a time, along with a limited but representative
sample of the lexicon. Each lesson has illustrative sentences suitable for practice in
translation. In order to avoid inventing more Hittite sentences than absolutely necessary,
we have insofar as possible used for the exercises Hittite sentences that actually occur in the texts in either their original form or slightly adapted. We have keyed the tutorial to
the reference grammar and have provided extensive notes for the exercise sentences, especially
on matters of syntax, but we have designed the tutorial primarily for classroom
use with an instructor who knows the language. Although some readers may be able to
use the tutorial for self-instruction, we cannot give assurance that such a method will
produce satisfactory results.
Our enormous overall debt to scholars past and present should be apparent throughout.
We are indebted to colleagues too numerous to mention for their prompt sending of
copies of published and unpublished works and responses to queries. We wish to thank
in particular Professors John A. Brinkman, Benjamin Fortson, Theo van den Hout, Jay
Jasanoff, Jared Klein, Norbert Oettinger, and Elisabeth Rieken for reading all or part
of an earlier draft of the grammar and offering innumerable helpful suggestions and
criticisms. The present version has been immeasurably improved due to their efforts.
Nevertheless, since we were not able to follow all their suggestions, they cannot be
accountable for whatever errors, omissions, or infelicities remain. For these we alone
are responsible. We would also like to thank Mr. Aaron Butts of Duke University for
working through an earlier draft of the tutorial and suggesting changes in it, and the
LANE series editor, Professor Gonzalo Rubio, for further helpful suggestions. Last but
not least, both authors are grateful to Winifred Hoffner for the hospitality, patience, and
unfailing good humor which she has shown to us during the long and sometimes trying
gestation period of this book and for standing together with us as loyal, long-suffering
Chicago Cubs baseball fans!
The Authors
Christmas, 2005
Part 1: Reference Grammar
Part 2: Tutorial
Preface
This book originated in supplementary teaching materials developed by the authors
for classroom instruction. Several generations have leaed Hittite with the help of the
outstanding Hethitisches Elementarbuch of Johannes Friedrich (second edition: 1960).
However, the passage of more than 40 years has inevitably rendered parts of Friedrich’s
grammar outdated or incomplete. A number of recent works have tried to address current
instructional needs. Our own efforts to procure or produce teaching materials for the
classroom led us to conclude that the time had come for a more comprehensive reference
grammar of Hittite, along the lines of Wolfram von Soden’s Grundri? der akkadischen
Grammatik (latest posthumous edition in 1995), that could also serve as the basis for an
accompanying set of graded lessons for language leaers.
No descriptive grammar can ever pretend to be truly definitive. We have done our
best to incorporate and synthesize the advances made since the work of Friedrich and to
make this grammar as broad and up-to-date in coverage as possible. We ask indulgence
in advance for the inevitable omissions and inadequacies. On points where there is no
consensus, we have not hesitated to make reasoned choices, while striving to acknowledge
different points of view. Our primary goal has been to describe the language systematically
as it appears in the extant texts. We have referred to prehistoric factors only
where we feel that they help elucidate features of attested Hittite or are of broad interest.
We expressly disavow any intent of systematic coverage in this regard.
One of the most dramatic changes in Hittitology since 1960 has been our enhanced
ability to establish a relative chronology not only of texts (recognized since the earliest
days of the field) but also of individual copies of those texts, often written many years
after the text’s composition. We have sought to give full recognition to established findings
in this area, but our initial intention of assigning Old, Middle, or New Hittite status
to all cited forms in the paradigms proved to be overly optimistic. Many issues about the
dating of texts and manuscripts remain unresolved. We have therefore limited ourselves
to marking consistently only examples assured as Old Hittite by their appearance in copies
from the Old Hittite period (OS = Old Script). We have otherwise been selective in
making what we take to be valid generalizations about the date of various phenomena
in appropriate passages in the grammar. Further refinements must be left for the future,
including in installments of the ongoing major lexica.
The tutorial is a series of graded lessons arranged in a typical fashion. Major morphological
categories are introduced a few at a time, along with a limited but representative
sample of the lexicon. Each lesson has illustrative sentences suitable for practice in
translation. In order to avoid inventing more Hittite sentences than absolutely necessary,
we have insofar as possible used for the exercises Hittite sentences that actually occur in the texts in either their original form or slightly adapted. We have keyed the tutorial to
the reference grammar and have provided extensive notes for the exercise sentences, especially
on matters of syntax, but we have designed the tutorial primarily for classroom
use with an instructor who knows the language. Although some readers may be able to
use the tutorial for self-instruction, we cannot give assurance that such a method will
produce satisfactory results.
Our enormous overall debt to scholars past and present should be apparent throughout.
We are indebted to colleagues too numerous to mention for their prompt sending of
copies of published and unpublished works and responses to queries. We wish to thank
in particular Professors John A. Brinkman, Benjamin Fortson, Theo van den Hout, Jay
Jasanoff, Jared Klein, Norbert Oettinger, and Elisabeth Rieken for reading all or part
of an earlier draft of the grammar and offering innumerable helpful suggestions and
criticisms. The present version has been immeasurably improved due to their efforts.
Nevertheless, since we were not able to follow all their suggestions, they cannot be
accountable for whatever errors, omissions, or infelicities remain. For these we alone
are responsible. We would also like to thank Mr. Aaron Butts of Duke University for
working through an earlier draft of the tutorial and suggesting changes in it, and the
LANE series editor, Professor Gonzalo Rubio, for further helpful suggestions. Last but
not least, both authors are grateful to Winifred Hoffner for the hospitality, patience, and
unfailing good humor which she has shown to us during the long and sometimes trying
gestation period of this book and for standing together with us as loyal, long-suffering
Chicago Cubs baseball fans!
The Authors
Christmas, 2005