The Italic Languages: OSCAN


General Notes

Oscan is an Italic language in the Osco-Umbrian family. It is very conservative in its forms, preserving all diphthongs that are simplified to some degree in Latin and wholly in Umbrian.


Alphabet

The national Oscan alphabet was inherited from the Etruscans. Letter G is absent. Letter D occurs, but it stands for the /r/ sound in Oscan; conversely, letter R stands for /d/; the exact opposite of their values in the Latin script. Two later characters, not found in the earliest inscriptions, are I- and Ú, the former probably an open /i/, and the latter with the value of /o/. /f/ is designated, as in Etruscan, with 8. There are twenty-one characters in all, including the two later ones.


Phonology

  • P in place of /qu/: Osc. pis, Lat. quis.
  • B in place of Indo-European /gu/: Osc. bivus, Lat. vivi.
  • /nd/ group simplified to NN: Osc. opsannam, Lat. operandam.
  • F from Indo-European /bh/ and /dh/: Osc. tfei, Lat. tibi.
  • HT in place of /kt/: Osc. Ohtavis, Lat. Octavius.

    These changes are specific to Oscan:

  • Preservation of old diphthongs in all positions: Osc. deicum, Lat. dico; Dative Plural ending Osc. -ois, Lat. -is.
  • Indo-European intervocalic S/Z retained, not changed to R as in Latin: Genitive Plural ending Osc. -azum, Lat. -arum.



    Vocabulary

    aeteis, part.
    ais-, divine, sacred.
    egmo, thing.
    eitua-, money.
    feího-, wall.
    her-, to want, wish.
    íním, and.
    meddíss, a type of magistrate, meddix.
    mede-, law.
    ner-, man, leader.
    puklo-, son.
    pur, fire.
    touta-, city, state, public.



    Sample Inscription: the Cippus Abellanus


    Text set off by a bracket has been reconstructed.

    maiiúí vestirikiíúí mai. sir.
    prupukid sverruneí kvaístu
    reí abellanúí íním maiiú[í
    iúvkiíúí mai. pukalatúí
    medíkeí deketasiúí núvl[a
    núí] íním lígatúís abell[anúís
    íním lígatúís núvlanúís
    pús senateís tanginúd
    suveís pútúrúspíd lígat[ús
    fufans, ekss kúmbened.
    sakaraklúm herekleís [úp
    slaagid púd íst íním teer[úm
    púd úp eísúd sakaraklúd [íst
    púd anter teremniss eh[trúís
    íst, paí teremenniú mú[íníkad
    tanginúd prúftúset r[íhtúd
    amnúd, puz ídík sakara[klúm
    íním ídík terúm múíní[kúm
    múíníkeí tereí fusíd [íním
    eíseís sakarakleís í[ním
    tereís fruktatiuf, fr[ukta
    tiuf] múíníkú pútúrú[mpíd
    fus]íd. avt núvlanú...
    .... herekleís fíí[sn...
    .... píspíd núvlan....
    .... gt ...

    ekkum[svaí píd herieset
    trííbarak[avúm tereí púd
    liímítú[m] pernúm [púís
    herekleís fíísnú mefi[ú
    íst, ehtrad feíhúss pú[s
    herekleís fíísnam amfr
    et, pert víam pússtíst
    paí íp íst, pústin slagím
    senateís suveís tangi
    núd tríbarakavúm lí
    kítud. íním íúk tríba
    rakkiuf pam núvlanús
    tríbarakattuset íúk trí
    barakkiuf íním úíttiuf
    abellanúm estud. avt
    púst feíhúís pús físnam am
    fret, eíseí tereí nep abel
    lanús nep núvlanús pídum
    tríbarakattíns. avt the
    savrúm púd eseí tereí íst,
    pún patensíns, múíníkad ta[n
    ginúd patensíns, íním píd e[íseí
    thesavreí púkkapíd ee[stit
    a]íttíúm alttram alttr[ús
    h]erríns. avt anter slagím
    a]bellanam íním núvlanam
    s]úllad víú uruvú íst . edú .
    e]ísaí víaí mefiaí teremen
    n]iú staíet.





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