Luwian
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- noun
- Specialized
- "It is dark because we have so few inscriptions," says London University's David Hawkins, one of the few specialists fluent in Luwian, a language related to Hittite and used in southern Anatolia and northern Syria during this period.
Examples
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The discovery of Luwian inscriptions has provided valuable insights into the history of the region.
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An international array of styles is apparent on the final reliefs, and the artists may have spoken a polyglot of Luwian, Phoenician, and Aramaic as they chiseled away.
Academic text (2009) -
Many ancient texts in Turkey were written in Luwian, showcasing its significance in studying Anatolian languages.
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She studied Luwian to better understand the cultural heritage of ancient Anatolia.
Synonyms
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An old language once spoken in ancient Anatolia that is related to Lycian
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An old language once spoken in parts of ancient Turkey
A dead language once spoken in ancient Turkey
Compounds
Surface Forms
Morphology
Luwian = Luwi (transparent) = Luwi + an
Formed by attaching the adjectival/national suffix '-an' to the proper name 'Luwi', so the relation is direct though it requires knowledge of the proper name to infer the exact referent.
Etymology
Luwian comes from the ancient name Luwiya for a people and region in Anatolia, and the ending -ian means 'from' or 'belonging to', as in Canadian or Italian. So Luwian means 'of the Luwiya people', which is why it is the name of the language they once spoke.