Since its publication in 2008, A Grammar of the Hittite Language has been the definitive Hittite reference and teaching tool. This new edition brings Hoffner and Melchert’s essential work up to date, incorporating the dramatic progress achieved in the field over the past fifteen years.

Heavily revised and expanded, the second edition recasts the discussion of topics to better serve the linguistically informed reader. A reorganized presentation of the synchronic facts makes them accessible to both Hittitologists and linguists interested in Hittite for historical or typological purposes.

Part 1 provides a thorough overview of Hittite grammar that is grounded in abundant textual examples. Part 2 is a tutorial that guides students through a series of graded lessons with illustrative sentences for translation. The tutorial is keyed to the reference grammar and includes extensive updated notes. Taken together with Part 2: Tutorial, which guides students through a series of graded lessons keyed to this reference grammar, the work remains the most comprehensive and detailed Hittite grammar ever produced.

“In this second edition of A Grammar of the Hittite Language, Melchert superbly synthesizes the substantially increased knowledge of all aspects of Hittite grammar since the first edition in 2008, regularly adding his own original grammatical insights. The discussion excellently represents the state of the art while also making clear that much work still needs to be done. The book is a must-read for Hittitologists and Indo-Europeanists.”

—Petra Goedegebuure, senior editor of The Chicago Hittite Dictionary

Harry A. Hoffner Jr. was John A. Wilson Professor of Hittitology at the University of Chicago. He was the author of six books, including The Laws of the Hittites and Hittite Myths.

H. Craig Melchert is Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and A. Richard Diebold Professor of Indo-European Studies Emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles. His research centers on historical linguistics, with special emphasis on the Anatolian subfamily of Indo-European. He has written many articles and books, including A Dictionary of the Lycian Language and Anatolian Historical Phonology.