Etruscan Grammar

Glen Gordon http://paleoglot.blogspot.com (glengordon01@gmail.com) Last modified: 18/01/2013

he follo!ing is a standardi"ed grammatical o#tline of $tr#scan% #sing the oldest attested stage as e&emplar. 't ma( be s#bse)#entl( #sef#l for reading Lemnian% a dialect of *ld $tr#scan !hich !as spo+en on the ,egean island of Lemnos. 'n 'tal(% $tr#scan contin#ed to e-ol-e from these canonical forms bet!een the 8th and 1st cent#ries ./$. ,mong notable de-elopments in later stages are the raising of a to e before resonants% the change of #nstressed -ai to -e and the general s(ncope of #nstressed !ord0medial -o!els (eg. Aranaial 1ntjl2 3of ,ranth3 4 Arnl 1ntl2). Word order $tr#scan is an aggl#tinati-e lang#age !ith a defa#lt !ord order of 5*6 (subject-object-verb). 7o!e-er it ma( shift to 65* !hen the action follo!s from a pre-io#sl( mentioned action or !hen #sing mediopassi-e -erbs. Nouns h#man (animate) t(pe0': apa 3father3 t(pe0'': ati 3mother3 sing#lar nomino0acc#sati-e
s#b8ect 9 direct ob8ect

non0h#man (inanimate) t(pe0': hiiul 3o!l3 t(pe0'': aami 3clo#d3 sing#lar hiiul aami hiiulas aamiial hiiulasi aamiiale hiiulasa aamiiala hiiulai pl#ral hiiulva aamiva hiiulval aamival hiiulvale aamivale hiiulvala aamivala hiiulvai

pl#ral apar atiiar aparas atiiaras aparasi atiiarasi aparasa atiiarasa aparai

apa ati apas atiial apasi atiiale apasa atiiala apai

3of% from% belonging to3

geniti-e -as /-al

dati-e -asi /-ale

3for% to3

partiti-e -asa /-ala

3part of% among3

locati-e -ai

3at% b(% before3

atiiai apaia atiia apais atiiis

atiiarai apara atiiara aparis atiiaris

aamiiai hiiula aamiia hiiulis aamiiis

aamivai hiiulvaia aamivaia hiiulvais aamivais

commitati-e -a
3!ith3

directi-e -is
3to% to!ards3

!o genders e&ist% h#man and non0h#man (normall( labeled animate and inanimate in the latest literat#re). :et since animal terms present in the Liber Linteus appear to #se ;inanimate; pl#ral mar+ing% the terms human and non-human ma( more acc#ratel( describe the nat#re of this !ord class dichotom(. he h#man pl#ral is mar+ed b( -ar !hile -va (or its allomorph 0va) is #sed for all non0h#man no#ns. he abo-e cases ma( be combined !ith postpositions li+e tra 3thro#gho#t% across3% i 3in3% pi 3b(% !ith3 and ri 3for3 for f#rther n#ances. Adjectives ,d8ecti-es are placed after the no#n the( modif(. <nli+e neighbo#ring Latin% ad8ecti-es completel( lac+ case mar+ing of their o!n. =o#n0pl#s0no#n phrases ma( be mista+en for no#n0pl#s0ad8ecti-e phrases b#t the( are disting#ishable b( n#ances in case mar+ing. 'f a no#n0pl#s0ad8ecti-e is declined in the locati-e% onl( the no#n bears the locati-e (see Compound nouns). ,d8ecti-es ma( be formed from both no#n or -erb stems b( the s#ffi& -a% eg. mla 3blessed3% !uma 3>oman3 and "ara 3loft(3 (hence the no#n "ara 3falcon3% literall( 3loft( one3). Compound nouns !o or more no#ns ma( be placed one after the other in a +ind of ;re-ersed compo#nd no#n; !ith the head at the start rather than at the end% m#ch li+e in ?rench htel-dieu. <nli+e in phrases !here an ad8ecti-e modifies its head no#n% compo#nds are declined s#ch that *all* their indi-id#al members are declined !ith the same case (e-en possibl( !ith the same accompan(ing postposition)% as if to sa( that the( are acting as a single #nit. he e)#i-alent of 3in the dogho#se3 in $tr#scan then !o#ld be declined as house-LOC=in dog-LOC(=in). Case embedding (Phrasal case marking) /ase endings ma( mar+ not onl( no#ns b#t entire no#n phrases. 5#btleties that arise from this )#ir+ can be conf#sing to the no-ice $tr#scanist. , phrase in TLE !" reads #le-e $anipal-us%&le 3in the @ar of 7annibal3% the e)#i-alent of Latin #ello $annibalis. he article

%&le% declined in the locati-e% agrees in case !ith the head no#n of the internal phrase #le-e $anipal-us. 'n effect% t!o la(ers of cases ha-e been piled onto the end. , more elaborate e&ample% 'analasial (erunai murinail% is fo#nd on the Lemnos %tele. Gro#ping shared cases together !ithin la(ered brac+ets helps #s brea+ do!n its f#ll comple&it(: 1'anal0G$= 1(eruna murina20L*/20G$=. 'n other !ords% a compo#nd no#n !ith both elements mar+ed !ith the same locati-e case% (eruna-i murina-i% has been f#rther declined b( the geniti-e case in -)a*l in agreement !ith preceding 'anal-asi-al !hich conf#singl( bears a second geniti-e of its -er( o!n. he combined effect leads to a possible translation of 3of (those) of 6anal in the f#nerar( #rn3. Pronouns 1ps 3'3 nominati-e acc#sati-e obli)#e mi mini 2ps 3(o#3 "+u "+ini ana 3ps animate 3he% she3 an 3ps inanimate 3it3 in

he case s(stem of prono#ns is impo-erished in comparison to that of no#ns. <nli+e no#ns% prono#ns disting#ish bet!een nominati-e and acc#sati-e cases in 1st and% pres#mabl(% 2nd persons. >ather than case inflection% prono#ns rel( more hea-il( on postpositions in obli)#e cases. h#s mini-pi 3mine% !ith me3 or mini-ri 3for me3. @hile the second person sing#lar prono#n has not been fo#nd to date (despite false claims that the inanimate no#n un 3libation3 is this prono#n)% the a#thor s#ggests "+u based on e&pectations deri-ed from the 'ndo0 ,egean h(pothesis and has ta+en liberties to flesh o#t the s(stem abo-e to attempt a more coherent pict#re. he rare 3ps animate obli)#e% ana% is attested in TLE &' b#t no s#ch corresponding obli)#e form is fo#nd for the paradigm of its inanimate co#nterpart. *bli)#e forms in the 3rd person !ere most often con-e(ed b( the more0n#anced demonstrati-e declension belo!. Demonstratives pro&imal 3this3 nominati-e &a distal 3that3 ta relati-e 3!ho3 pa

acc#sati-e geniti-e t(pe0' t(pe0'' dati-e t(pe0' t(pe0'' partiti-e t(pe0' t(pe0'' locati-e commitati-e directi-e

&an &as &al &asi &ale &asa &ala &ai, &ain &aia &ais

tan tas tal tasi tale tasa tala tai, tain taia tais

pan pas pal pasi pale pasa pala pai, pain paia pais

,s !ith non03rd person prono#ns% demonstrati-es also ha-e distinct forms for the nominati-e and acc#sati-e cases (et #se the f#ll complement of case endings from the nominal declension. he( lac+ pl#ral mar+ing. ,s postpositional clitics in later stages of $tr#scan% the deictic meaning of the demonstrati-es !as lost and the( effecti-el( became definite articles. his de-elopment led to the disambig#ation in Late $tr#scan of definite s#b8ects and definite ob8ects simpl( b( appending the appropriate case form of the article (eg. i-ta 3the !ater 1nom.23 -s. i-tn 3the !ater 1acc.23). erbs acti-e infiniti-e lu, 3to cross% crossing3 tau 3to see% seeing3 am 3to be% being3 present0f#t#re (non0past) -a past -ai )an* lupa 3(s)he crosses3 )an* tva 3(s)he sees3 )an* ama 3(s)he is3 )an* lupai 3(s)he crossed3 )an* tvai 3(s)he sa!3 )an* amai 3(s)he !as3 mediopassi-e (-in-) lupin 3to be crossed3 tvin 3to appear3 arin 3to rise3 )in* lupin 3it is crossed3 )in* tvin 3it appears3 )in* arin 3it rises3 )in* lupinai 3it !as crossed3 )in* tvinai 3it appeared3 )in* arinai 3it rose3

participle -u / -a

lupu 3crossed3 tvau 3seen3 ama 3been3

lupinu 3crossed3 tvinu 3apparent3 arin 3raised3

,n( chain of affi&es follo!ing the -erb root follo!s this s(nopsis: 6$>.0mood0aspect0tense. he -erb ma( appear alone or !ith an( combination of s#ffi&es con-e(ing mood% aspect and/or tense. ,s in man( lang#ages li+e Aapanese% s#b8ect prono#ns ma( be freel( dropped from a sentence b#t are nonetheless re)#ired !hen conte&t is lac+ing in order to disambig#ate different persons. !o moods e&ist% acti-e (the defa#lt mood) and mediopassi-e. he mediopassi-e mood omits the presenti-e mar+er fo#nd in the acti-e mood and is #sed !hen con-e(ing a refle&i-e action% that is% an action done to or b( oneself (eg. 3he sha-ed3% 3she sits3% 3it rises3)% or !hen spea+ing of the patient as s#b8ect of the sentence (eg. 3't !as made b( (o#3 rather than 3(o# made it3). h#s the mediopassi-e form of tra is trin 3it po#rsB it is po#red3 and its corresponding past form !o#ld be trinai 3it po#red3. ,-ailable aspects incl#de perfecti-e -a&-% stati-e -as-% ca#sati-e0factiti-e 0un- and passi-e 0i-. h#s f#rther forms li+e &ana&u 3bro#ght3 and +iluna&e 3has been made a s#per-isor3 are possible. he $tr#scan -erb clea-es time into a present0f#t#re (non0past) tense on the one hand and a past tense on the other. @hile on the s#rface it appears that -a literall( mar+s the present0 f#t#re% it !as li+el( once a generic% tenseless s#b8ect mar+er for all persons sing#lar and pl#ral. his ma( help e&plain its apparent absence in the mediopassi-e present0f#t#re !here the agent as s#b8ect is deposed to ob8ect. o the present0f#t#re is attached an additional -i to indicate past tense% forming 0ai in both *ld $tr#scan and Lemnian. .( Late $tr#scan% this is red#ced to 0e. Carticiples are di-ided into transiti-es in 0u and intransiti-e0stati-es in 0a. Numerals 1 2 3 D u +al &i hu 10 20 30 D0 (ar +arum &iial "hual

E F G 8 H

ma (a sam, "&a+pa nur,

E0 F0 G0 80 H0

muval (aial sam,al &a+pal "nur,al

*cc#rrences are co#nted b( !a( of the s#ffi& -+i (eg. un+i 3once3% +al+i 4 esl+ 3t!ice3% &i+i 3thrice3% etc.). he distrib#ti-e s#ffi& is -ur (eg. unur 3one each3% +alur 3t!o each3% etc.). /alendar dates are mar+ed b( the directi-e s#ffi& (eg. +arumis A&alve 3on the 20th of ,cal-a3). <nfort#natel(% the terms for 3h#ndred3 or higher n#mbers% !hich $tr#scans certainl( had% remain #n+no!n. ,fterall these higher n#mbers !ere t(picall( represented !ith onl( n#meric s(mbols and not spelled o#t in f#ll.