Experiencer predicates in Hittite

The paper discusses a number of experiencer predicates in Hittite and argues that they display different constructions which have parallels in other Indo-European languages as well as cross-linguistically. In particular, experiencers can be coded as subjects of transitive and of unaccusative verbs, as accusative arguments of impersonal verbs, as direct objects, or as recipients/beneficiaries. It is argued that the possibility for some experiencer verbs to occur with more than one construction reflects a situation, common to other ancient IE languages, in which several constructions were available for verbs in the domain of experience. In the light of current discussion on non-canonical subject marking and its relevance for the reconstruction of alignment I also address the issue of whether it is possible to provide evidence for subjecthood of non-nominative experiencers, and conclude that specific strategies for coding experiencer are not dependent on specific alignment types. Experiencer predicates in Hittite have never received a unified treatment. They display a variety of constructions, some of which may bring about different interpretations of certain passages. Thus, this paper intends to provide a summary review of Hittite experiential constructions, while in the meantime indicating possible directions for further research.