Some difficult Tocharian genitives

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses the Tocharian gen. sg. in B -ntse, A -s, and the gen. pl. in B -ṃts(ə), A -śśi. The PToch. gen. sg. ending *‑nsæ is explained by assuming an extension of the o-stem ending *‑o-s(y)o to n‑stems, giving first *‑Cn‑əsæ (with connecting *‑ə‑) and then, with regular metathesis, *‑C‑ə‑nsæ, from which productive *‑nsæ was extracted. The more difficult gen. pl. endings B ‑ṃts(ə) and A -śśi, which are not usually thought of as being cognate, are traced to sequences of the animate acc. pl. in *‑ns followed by a particle with Sievers variants *‑Tye (Toch. B) and *‑Tiye (Toch. A). The particle *‑T(i)ye is perhaps to be identified with the ‑se of Gk. póse ‘whither’, and thus further with the locational suffix *‑tye/o‑ of Ved. nítya- ‘own’, Hitt. appezziya- ‘hindmost’, etc.