Internal Reduplication among the t-Derived Verbal Stems of Akkadian

Abstract

In formal terms, the Dtr-Stem of Akkadian mirrors and partially overlaps the more familiar Dt-Stem, albeit with an additional medial reduplicated syllable (cf., e.g., Dtr ūtelelle vs. Dt ūtelle). It is suggested in the following that the Dtr did not arise as a deviant form of the Dt but represents a survival of the Dt’s morphology in early East Semitic. Similarly, the Št2-Stem (the so-called “lexical Št”), which shows a comparable added syllable (contrast Št1 uštapras and Št2 uštaparras), offers us evidence of the prehistory of the Št-Stem. The diffuse semantics of both the Dtr and the Št2 testifies to their antiquity; the cohesive passive-voice sense of the Dt and the Št1, by contrast, marks these stems as relatively late analogical creations.