지타

Middle Korean

Alternative forms

• 짛다 (cihta, phonemically faithful orthography rarely actually used but normal in modern scholarship)

Etymology

This verb is attested only in association with three quite divergent entities: packsaddles, bowstrings, and names of people or objects.

Lee Ki-moon suggests that at least some senses of the verb, including that of "name", represent a compound of the verbs 지 (ci-, “to bear (a load, etc.)”) + ᄒᆞ다 (hota, “to do”) with a derived causative sense, thus meaning "to cause to bear". A potential derivational relationship between 지다 and 짛다 has been proposed by other Korean scholars as well. Yi 2006 alternatively suggests that the primary meaning of this verb was "to tie", with the "name" sense arising from a figurative expression in which a name is something "tied" to the person.

The verb was lost in the seventeenth century, apparently due to merging with 짓다 (jitda, “to build”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡sih.ta/, [t͡ɕi.tʰa]

Verb

지타〮 (cìthá)

1. (transitive) to tie a packsaddle
   • 1459, 月印釋譜 (Worin seokbo), page 20:65b:

     사ᄅᆞᆷ 블러 그 象(샤ᇰ)애 金(금) 기르마 지허 ᄲᆞᆯ리 잇거 내라 ᄒᆞ고

     salom pulle ku SYANG-ay KUM kiluma cihe spolli iske nayla hokwo

     They called a person and told him to tie a golden packsaddle to that elephant and quickly lead it out

2. (transitive) to string a bow for shooting
   • 1466, 救急方諺解 (Gugeupbang eonhae), page 1:61a:

     홠시우를 지허 우흘 向(햐ᇰ)ᄒᆞ야 노코

     hwal-s siwul-ul cihe wuh-ul HYANG-hoya nokhwo

     Stringing the bowstring and placing it facing up

3. (transitive, with object 일훔〮 (ìlhwúm, “name”)) to give (a name), to christen, to name (a person, an object, etc.)
   • 1447, Prince Suyang, 釋譜詳節 (Seokbo sangjeol), pages Intro: 4b—5a:

     各(각〮)別(벼ᇙ〮)히〮 ᄒᆞᆫ 그〮를〮 ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮라〮 일훔〮 지허〮 ᄀᆞ로〮ᄃᆡ〮 釋(셕〮)譜(봉〯)詳(싸ᇰ)節(져ᇙ〮)이〮라〮 ᄒᆞ고〮

     KÁK.PYÉLQ-hí hòn kúl-úl mòyngkólá ìlhwúm cìhé kòlwótóy SYÉK.PWǑ.SSYÀNG.CYÉLQ-ílá hòkwó

     I specially composed a written work and named it, calling it the "Seokbo sangjeol"

Conjugation

Accentual class L! stem

Declarative	Connective	Infinitive	Conditional
지타〮 (cìthá)	지코〮 (cìkhwó)	지허〮 (cìhé)	지흐면〮 (cìhùmyén)

References

• 이동석 (Yi Dong-seok) (2006) “중세국어 '짛다'의 의미 및 변화 연구 [jungsegugeo jita ui uimi mit byeonhwa yeon'gu, A study of the semantics and transformation of the Middle Korean verb cihta]”, in Han'gugeohak, volume 32, pages 193—212
• Lee, Ki-Moon, Ramsey, S. Robert (2011) A History of the Korean Language, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 179