Re: OT: What language is "Hattusas"?

Paul Bennett wrote:

> On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 19:00:55 -0400, Stephen Mulraney
> <ataltane.conlang@...> wrote:
>
>> ISTR recall that the city was called "Hattus" in *Hattic*, and that
>> "Hattus^as^" was
>> what the Hittites later called it by way of Hittitifying it (OR
>> IEfying?  Was
>> Hattic non-IE?
>> I think so.)
>
>
> The information I have states that it's an isolate, and existed prior
> to  the Hittites and other Indo-European people arriving in Anatolia.
Hattic was indeed non-IE and predated 'Hittite'. But in fact the names
'Hittite', "Hettite' etc. are all derived from the 'Hatti' (what the
speakers of Hattic called themselves). The Hatti were the original
Hittites   :-)

Subsequent conquerors of the area adopted the name, in a similar way
that the modern inhabitants of my island call themselves Britons, even
tho the vast majority speak a Germanic language, and only the Welsh
speak a language derived from the ancient Brittonic language.

Indeed, just as the common language of modern Britain is called
'English' and not 'British', so in ancient times the post-Hattic
language(s) were not called 'Hittite'. We now know that the IE language
we call 'Hittite' should more strictly be called 'Nesite' or 'Nesian' -
but the name 'Hittite' is now too entrenched, I think.

Luwian & Palaic are also regarded as being of IE origin.

--
Ray
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