L2/00-246

Subject: Feedback on Old Italic (L2/00-140)

From: Deborah Anderson, Vis. Scholar, Dept. of Linguistics, UC
Berkeley  [dwanders@socrates.berkeley.edu]
Date: August 1, 2000

General Comments to the Old Italic proposal by Michael Everson,
John Jenkins, and Dario de Judicibus, dated 2000-04-21 (followed
by revision of a few of the preliminary remarks)

1.The Marsiliana d'Albegna is not the prototype for the Old
Italic scripts; it is a local Etruscan abecedarium, and dates to
a time well after the introduction of literacy.  Hence, it should
not be necessarily used as the model for the glyph shapes. For
example, on the charts provided to me by one of the scholars of
the alphabets from the various scripts, I found no other example
of the HE glyph divided into thirds, only the one found on the
ISO proposal (a rectangle divided into two sections). The KE
appears more commonly throughout the various scripts in the shape
on the ISO proposal, but early Etruscan inscriptions also include
the shape on the Everson et al. proposal (a gamma). I am unsure
whether the more common shape should be chosen over an earlier
shape.

2. The ultimate source for the alphabets in ancient Italy is
Euboean Greek used at Ischia and Cumae in the bay of Naples in
the 8 C BCE. Unfortunately, no Greek abecedaria from southern
Italy have survived.  A revised version of the introductory
paragraphs on the various languages covered in this code block
(with important corrections) is at the bottom of this document.

3. Unfortunately, no one offered further specific input on the
numerals section, except that it is best not to rely on Bonfante
1990 for this. For Latin, the best source to consult is Arthur E.
Gordon's 1983 work, Illustrated Introduction to Latin Epigraphy,
Berkeley: UC Press.

4.  Minor point: Raetic is most often spelled without the "h."

5. "Middle Adriatic" is an outdated term and in its place one
should use South Picene, a Sabellian language related to Oscan
and Umbrian. For South Picene scripts, see Marinetti 1985.

6. Messapic is represented by probably two scripts derived from
the Greek alphabet and not from an Etruscan alphabet. Most
inscriptions are in an alphabet derived from  Greek scripts used
at Taranto. The other inscriptions from the area of Daunia and
Peucezia, all dating to 3/2C BCE, are written in an alphabet of
Hellenistic Greek origin. On Messapic, see Parlangèli 1960.
[Note: Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of these, so I am
unable to comment on any particular corrections to the chart.]

7. On directionality: Most scholars transcribe the texts left to
right. Boustrophedon appears rarely, and not especially early
(i.e., the Forum inscription dates to 550-500 BCE and CIL I2, 5,
is from the 4C). In spite of Caere and Veii, the default case for
Etruscan directionality should be right-to-left (and this is true
also for Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, and Venetic [currently in
Alpine]). [Note: Serpentine -- distinct from boustrophedon --
also appears in some Venetic texts, as well as early Latin.]

Notes on the letter chart and comments on particular letters in
the proposal
8. Etruscan:
a. Et1 and Et2 on the chart mix up forms from different dates a
bit (Et2 has archaic forms and Hellenistic age forms).  These can
be modified slightly to more accurately represent two time
periods, Et1 as "Archaic" (700-480/460) and Et2 as "Neo-Etruscan"
(480/460-1C CE). These chronological divisions reflect not so
much a different writing system, rather it is based on a
phonological change that zapped unaccented syllables in medial
syllables, and these syncopated forms become the distinguishing
feature for Etruscan of the Hellenistic age.
To modify Et1 to Archaic Etruscan: add the 4-bar sigma and
multi-strong sigma (not unlike the Faliscan multistroke sigma),
/f/ is spelled <HF> and <FH>, and an ypsilon with the shape of V
(v).
To modify Et2 to Neo-Etruscan: delete FH and Y, and add in theta
in the form of an O and kappa.
b. EKS was used only in the late 7C and early 6C in Caere/Veii
and was probably eliminated from the alphabetic series by the end
of the 6C.
c. In Late Etruscan inscriptions from the north, the letter KE
<C> displaces <K> under Latin influence.
d. There is some evidence that sigma <S> replaces <M>, even
though they represent distinct phonemes, again under Latin
influence.

9.South Picene
a. South Picene (="Adriatic") uses a single raised punct < · >
for /o/ and two puncts < : > for /f/. These are missing in the
charts.
b. There is another character that is missing, <*>. It occurs in
a single S. Picene inscription (TE. 5) and its precise phonetic
value and alphabetic source are both still somewhat unclear (see
discussion in Marinetti 1985:53-4). In the two words where it
occurs, it seems to go back to a *k (in both cases before a front
vowel), so Marinetti uses a transcription with an <s> and an
acute accent, assuming a palatalized velar or some kind of
sibilant (possibly affricated).
c. South Picene does contain KE, DE, and VE. The charts I am
using do not include THE at all.   EL appears in a shape much
like North Picene PE. KU has alternate glyphs, as does II; U can
appear as an upside down "V." UU appears upside down from the
shape on the Old Italics chart. [Note: As soon as I get in
contact with the scholar who provided the chart, I can give the
reference. I believe the chart is from Marinetti 1985. I can also
scan it and forward it to interested parties.]


11. Comment on ESH. Paragraph 3 states that one character is only
found in the abecedaries, not in the actual language texts:
U+1030 OLD ITALIC LETTER ESH. It turns out that ESH is found in
several Sabellian inscriptions:
a.	in the Palaeo-Umbrian inscription at Tolfa, where it
represents a mid-palatal vowel,
b.	in a Palaeo-Volscian inscription from Satricum, where it
represents a different sound, and
c.	in the inscription from Magliano Sabino, where it represents
the final element of a diphthong.


********************************************
Revised Draft of a few of the Preliminary Remarks
[Info on languages covered by this proposal]
Old Italic comprises a number of related historical scripts
located on the Italian peninsula which were used for
non-Indo-European languages (Etruscan and probably North Picene,
the latter of which is likely not related to Etruscan), various
Indo-European languages belonging to the Italic branch (Faliscan
and members of the Sabellian group, including Oscan, Umbrian, and
South Picene), and a separate Indo-European branch (Messapic).
The ultimate source for the alphabets in ancient Italy is Euboean
Greek used at Ischia and Cumae in the bay of Naples in the 8 C
BCE. Unfortunately, no Greek abecedaria from southern Italy have
survived. Faliscan, Oscan, Umbrian, North Picene, and South
Picene all derive from an Etruscan form of the alphabet;
Messapic, probably in two different scripts, comes directly from
Greek.

Latin itself derives from a south Etruscan model, probably from
Caere or Veii, around the mid-7C or a bit earlier, but because
there are significant differences between Latin and Faliscan of
the 7C and 6C in terms of formal differences (shapes of letters,
direction of writing) and differences in the letters used (Latin
does not use zeta, Falsican adds a letter for /f/) this warrants
a distinctive character block.

There are some 10,000 inscriptions in Etruscan. By the time of
the earliest Etruscan inscriptions, ca. 700 B.C.E., local
distinctions are already found in the use of the alphabet. Three
major divisions are identified: the north, south, and Caere/Veii
(Cristofani 1978). Etruscan can be divided into two time periods,
due largely to the phonological changes that occurred. One can
divide these into "Archaic" (700-480/460) and "Neo-Etruscan"
(480/460-1C CE).

Other corrections:
The Tuscany < *Truscania etymology is not correct per one
scholar.
The sense of Latin elementum as 'letter of the alphabet' is
secondary.

[Directionality]
Most scholars transcribe the texts left to right. Boustrophedon
appears rarely, and not especially early (i.e., the Forum
inscription dates to 550-500 BCE and CIL I2, 5, is from the 4C).
In spite of Caere and Veii, the default case for Etruscan
directionality should be right-to-left (and this is true also for
Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, and Venetic [currently in Alpine]).
Note: Serpentine -- distinct from boustrophedon -- also appears
in some Venetic texts, as well as early Latin.

[Punctuation]
[Will be discussed at a later point per Ken W. but commentary is
included]
There are numerous 7C Etruscan inscriptions with puncts
separating word forms, attested as early as the second quarter of
the 7C. Etruscan can also have words separated by three puncts
lined up vertically. Rarely are syllables separated by puncts.
[Latin comment: Some later Latin inscriptions use a kind of small
triangular shape, as well as a hyphen-like symbol, in addition to
the familiar round dot-like symbol; sometimes inscriptions
combine them in significant ways.]

[Numerals]
[Best not to rely on Bonfante 1990 on this but instead use Gordon
1983, though this is Latin]

[Issues]
[Input on names] One scholar felt that  it is a mistake to base
the names on one's theory of what the Etruscan and/or (Old) Latin
names might have been, since it doesn't allow for clear solutions
in many cases and doesn't take into account the needs of the
users. This scholar recommended a system based on standard modes
of reference, with elements of the transcriptional approach,
should be devised more or less ad hoc.
Hence, e.g.,
"A" for <A>
"CE" <C>
"KA" <K>
"QO" <Q> [since this is a koppa]

Bibliography
Cristofani, Mauro. 1978. "L'alfabeto etrusco." Popoli e civiltà
dill'Italia antica. Lingue e dialetti dell'Italia antica a cura
di Aldo L. rosdocimi, VI, 401-428. Roma: Bretscheider.
Gordon, Arthur E. 1983. Illustrated Introduction to Latin
Epigraphy. Berkeley: UC Press.
Marinetti, Anna. 1985. Le iscrizione sudpicene I. Testi. Firenze:
Leo S. Olschki.
Parlangèli, O. 1960. Studi Messapici. Milano.

Scholars consulted for Old Italic and Alpine (to come):
Prof. Brent Vine, Indo-European Studies Program and Dept. of
Classics, UCLA [specialist in early Latin and Italic dialects]
Prof. Rex Wallace, Dept. of Classics, University of
Massachussetts, Amherst [specialist in Italic dialects and
historic scripts of Italy]
Dr. Stefan Schumacher, Institut für Indogermanistik, Allgemeine
und Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft, Martin-Luther-Universität
Halle-Wittenberg [specialist in Raetic]
Prof. Joseph Eska, Dept. of English, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University [specialist in Continental Celtic]