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Glite Dictionary
Lycian language

Lycian language

9.9
An old language spoken long ago in southwest Turkey by the ancient Lycians that no longer exists
  • noun
  • Specialized
: lengua licia
  • Scholars have deciphered ancient inscriptions written in the Lycian language.

Examples

  • The Lycian language became extinct after the conquest by the Romans.

  • The Lycian language was used in ancient inscriptions.

  • Linguists study the Lycian language to learn about the history of Anatolian peoples.

  • Many scholars study the Lycian languages to understand ancient cultures.

  • Linguists study the Lycian language to learn about the history of Anatolian peoples.

  • Scholars have deciphered ancient inscriptions written in the Lycian language.

  • The Lycian language became extinct after the conquest by the Romans.

Synonyms

Lycian
vsLycian language
  • Specialized
9.9

An extinct language once spoken in southwestern Turkey

is the same language but given in a shorter name form

Surface Forms

Lycian language singular
Lycian languages plural

Morphology

Lycian + language

The phrase is a straightforward composition of a proper adjective/name 'Lycian' (relating to Lycia/the Lycians) and the noun 'language', so its meaning 'the language of the Lycians' is directly derivable from the constituents. This proper-name + language pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore transparently understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Lycian language comes from Lycia, the ancient region on the rocky southwest coast of what is now Turkey, and language simply means the speech of its people. We see the Lycian language on old stone tombs and inscriptions, which gives a clear picture of the local speech long ago. So the name refers to the old speech of the Lycians, now called 'extinct' because no one speaks it today.