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New studies on the verbal system of Old and Middle Iranian

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Nicholas Sims-Williams
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Extract

Despite the similar titles of the two books reviewed here, they are very different in aims and scope. While Samadi's book is primarily an etymological dictionary of verb forms, Kellens's is in effect the first volume of a comprehensive Avestan grammar, as a companion to which the author promises ‘ in the near future' (p. 435) a complete lexicon of the Avestan verb. What they do have in common, in addition to the relationship in subject-matter indicated by their titles, is a comprehensiveness which ensures that they will both become standard works of reference. It is this characteristic above all which seems to justify reviewing them in more than usual detail.

Type
Articles
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , June 1989 , pp. 255 - 264
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1989

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References

1 Jean, Kellens, Le verbe avestique, Wiesbaden: DrLudwig Reichert, Verlag, 1984. xxii, 444 pp. DM248. —Mahlagha, Samadi, Das chwaresmische Verbum, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986. xvi, 335 pp. DM 78Google Scholar.

2 Note the following bibliographical abbreviations employed in this article: BSTBL = MacKenzie, D. N., The Buddhist Sogdian texts of the British Library, Tehran-Liège, 1976; BT XIIGoogle Scholar = Sims-Williams, N., The Christian Sogdian manuscript C2 (Berliner Turfantexte,xn), Berlin, 1985; DKS =Google ScholarBailey, H. W., Dictionary ofKhotan Saka, Cambridge, 1979; GMSGoogle ScholarGershevitch, I., A grammar of Manichean Sogdian, Oxford, 1954; SGSGoogle ScholarEmmerick, R. E., Saka grammatical studies, London, 1968. I am grateful to Professor MacKenzie for his valuable comments on a draft of this articleGoogle Scholar.

3 Less important is the omission of prwyz, pausal form of the 2 sg. impv. of prwz-, cited by Henning in Asia Major, v, 1, 1955, 45Google Scholar.

4 This may apply even to some forms of the pres. indie, which is not attested by any other stem in °h-.

5 In this respect Das chwaresmische Verbum is superior to Le verbe avestique, which is rather difficult to consult as a result of an over-elaborate system of paragraph numbering and in particular the lack (until the appearance of the promised' lexique complet du verbe avestique') of an index of Av. words.