The agent noun suffix in -ntsa belongs to a complex of Tocharian B agent noun formations,similar in form, function, and inflection. Of these, two suffixes are widely believedto be related to -ntsa:... Show moreThe agent noun suffix in -ntsa belongs to a complex of Tocharian B agent noun formations,similar in form, function, and inflection. Of these, two suffixes are widely believedto be related to -ntsa: the productive agent noun in -ñca and the lexicalised agent nounin -nta. The suffix -ntsa forms occupational titles to eleven verbs in Tocharian B andcan be reconstructed for Proto-Tocharian through comparison with Tocharian A. Inthis paper, it is argued that the suffix originated in the feminine of the PIE active participlein *-nt. This is substantiated by the fact that several ntsa-nouns refer to primarilyfemale professions, as well as the existence of the relic forms Bpreṃtsa ‘pregnant’ andBlāntsa ‘queen’. Furthermore, it is proposed that the masculine is reflected in the suffixes-ñca and -nta and that the disintegration of gendered inflection in the participleled to its development into several agent noun formations. Show less
Tocharian is the name given to two closely related Indo-European languages, Tocharian A and Tocharian B, known from manuscripts discovered in the Tarim basin. Despite its late attestation,... Show moreTocharian is the name given to two closely related Indo-European languages, Tocharian A and Tocharian B, known from manuscripts discovered in the Tarim basin. Despite its late attestation, Tocharian has proved to be archaic, particularly in some sections of the morphology. However, the exact relationship of Tocharian with the other Indo-European branches remains an unresolved issue. The problem is that a strong impact of language contact and internal drift has resulted in an intricate combination of archaisms and innovations that are often difficult to be disentangle.Examining the category of gender, this thesis contributes to the investigation of archaisms and innovations in Tocharian nominal morphology. It aims at providing a comprehensive treatment of the Tocharian gender system, describing how it historically derived from the Indo-European proto-language and why it typologically deviates from most of the other Indo-European languages. Show less
