CALL. 01.02.2017: Workshop on the Hattian Language Problems, Trends and Perspectives for Future Rese
Of the several languages recorded by Hittite scribes in the cuneiform script, the Hattian language remains a particular conundrum for philologists and linguists alike. Although a century of research has produced numerous articles as well as monographs devoted to the lexicography, grammar, syntax and origins of this isolated language, our understanding of Hattian remains quite modest. Immediately following the publication of several Hattian texts, Emil Forrer made the first contributions to Hattian research in the 1920s. The subsequent decades saw no further serious efforts to interpret this isolated Anatolian language. Fortunately, an interruption of this magnitude has not occurred since the 1960s, when a few Hittitologists and scholars of the ancient Near East began consistently devoting their attention to the research of Hattian in various degrees of intensity.
FECHA LÍMITE/DEADLINE/SCADENZA: 01/02/2017
FECHA CONGRESO/CONGRESS DATE/DATA CONGRESSO: 24-25-26-27-28/07/2017
LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: Phillips-Universität Marburg (Marburg, Germany)
ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Dr. Zsolt Simon ; Charles Steitler M.A.
INFO: web - Zsolt.Simon@lmu.de ; charles.steitler@adwmainz.de
CALL:
Despite the recurrent “waves” of interest – corresponding with new generations of scholars – research of the Hattian language has not gained the same momentum and degree of interest that has been achieved for other isolated languages or Kleinkorpussprachen of the ancient Near East, such as Hurrian respectively Hieroglyphic Luwian. This is due in part to the fact that the available Hattian text sources are principally related to central Anatolia in the Middle to Late Bronze Ages and thus bear little significance for the ancient Near East as a whole over a longer period of time. Furthermore, the Hattian texts known to us are primarily related to cultic, religious and ritual contexts, so that little of their content appears to be directly related to questions of historical or political importance. At the same time, with regard to the history of the culture and religion of Hittite society, continuing research has by no means minimized or marginalized the significance of the Hattian language. On the contrary, the past two decades of Hittitology have come to recognize that the Hittites’ self-identity – culturally, religiously and also politically – was defined by a core connection with those cultural elements which can be identified as “Hattian”. Recent linguistic studies have also emphasized the coexistence of Hattian speakers alongside speakers of Indo-European languages in Anatolia in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. Improved understanding of the Hattian language is therefore more relevant than ever. The purpose of this workshop is to gather together those scholars who have previously conducted and/or are currently pursuing research pertaining to the Hattian language, in order to increase mutual awareness of individual research emphases, to avoid overlaps between projects and to promote fruitful exchange and cooperation among scholars of Hattian. It can be hoped that this will lead to the establishment of a working study group which meets again in the future – regularly or irregularly, as deemed productive and feasible. For this workshop, the organizers specifically request papers pertaining to the following topics: · grammar and syntax of Hattian · phonology of Hattian and the question of scribal orthography · lexicography of Hattian · specific Hattian texts or text corpora · methodology of Hattian research · new tools for Hattian research The workshop will conclude with a round-table discussion highlighting current trends as well as addressing the challenges to be faced presently and in the future in order to improve our understanding of Hattian. The workshop will be conducted in English and German. Contributors are asked to submit an abstract of 300–400 words to the workshop organizers (see below) by February 1, 2017. Participants will be notified by March 1 about acceptance of their papers. The workshop organizers will inform the RAI organizing committee of the accepted paper proposals. Registration for the 63rd RAI and other details available at: http://www.rai63.org.