Hattic language
From Chaldeans Wiki
Hattic was a language spoken in Asia Minor between the 3rd and the 2nd millennia BC. Its heartland, before the arrival of Nesian (ie, "Hittite") speakers from its south, ranged from Hattusa (which they called "Hattus") northward to Nerik.
The Nesians eventually absorbed or replaced the Hattic speakers (Hattians); but they retained the name Hatti for the region, and the use of Hattic for their religion.
The Hittite term for Hattic was hattili after the city of Hattus, whereas the Hittite dynasty called their own language nesili after their city of origin Kanesh. The form "Hittite" in English originally comes from biblical Heth, quite possibly connected to common Assyrian and Egyptian designations of "Land of the Hatti" (Khatti) west of the Euphrates. It is unknown what native speakers of "hattili" called their own language.
The catalogued Hattic documents from Hattusa span CTH 725-745. Of these CTH 728, 729, 731, 733, and 736 are Hattian / Hittite bilinguals. CTH 737 is a Hattian incantion for the festival at Nerik.
Other cities mentioned in Hattic include Tuhumiyara and Tissaruliya. There are additional Hattic texts in Sapinuwa, which had not been published as of 2004.
Hattic appears to be related to the Northwest Caucasian (Circassian) family. Its position in the hypothetical North Caucasian family and other proposed classifications of the languages of the Caucasus is still the subject of much debate among linguists.
