Editing Hittite:Glossing of common Hittite forms (section)

===== Neuter i-Stem Nouns =====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Traditional !! colspan="2" {{CellHighlight1}} | Advanced !! colspan="2" {{CellHighlight2}} | Expert
|-
| ''tuppi'' || ''tuppi'' || clay_tablet.N.NOM/ACC.SG || ''tuppi'' || clay_tablet.N.NOM/ACC.SG
|-
| ''tuppianza'' || ''tuppianza'' || clay_tablet.N:ANIM:C.NOM.SG || ''tuppi-an-za'' || clay_tablet.N-ANIM-C.NOM.SG
|-
| ''tuppiaš'' || ''tuppiaš'' || clay_tablet.N:GEN.SG || ''tuppi-aš'' || clay_tablet.N-GEN.SG
|-
| ''tuppi'' || ''tuppi'' || clay_tablet.N:DATLOC.SG || ''tupp-i'' || clay_tablet.N-DATLOC.SG
|-
| ''tuppiaz'' || ''tuppiaz'' || clay_tablet.N:ABL || ''tuppi-az'' || clay_tablet.N-ABL
|}

Cf. Hoffner & Melchert 2008: §4.24, p. 90.
One often finds the form ''tuppianza ''referred to as an ergative (ERG) (e.g. Hoffner & Melchert 2008: §3.8, §3.21), which is somewhat misleading. The ending ''-anza ''is not an actual case ending. In fact, Hittite does not have an ergative case at all, even though one often finds the term in the literature. In Hittite, a neuter noun cannot function as the subject of a transitive verb. In case it was necessary that a neuter noun functioned as the subject of a transitive verb, the noun was “animatized” by attaching the suffix ''-ant-'' to the stem of the noun. This suffix transforms the gender of the noun from neuter into common gender. Additionally, the common gender nominative case ending is attached (Kloekhorst 2008:184f.). Thus, ''tuppianza'' it is an “animatized” form of the neuter ''tuppi- ''‘clay tablet’ and contains both the suffix ''-ant- ''and the case ending of the common gender nominative singular ''-š''. The gloss suggested above uses ANIM for the “animatizing” suffix -''ant-''.