Why are Sidetic and Pisidian difficult to classify with certainty?

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Sidetic and Pisidian are difficult to classify with absolute certainty primarily because they are extremely poorly attested.12

Documentation for both languages is exceptionally sparse, which limits the amount of linguistic data available for analysis:

  • Sidetic: Known only from a few coins and approximately half a dozen votive inscriptions dating from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE.31
  • Pisidian: Known from roughly two dozen short tomb inscriptions consisting almost exclusively of names and patronymics, dating between the 1st and 2nd centuries CE.41

While these limited remains—specifically the use of an -s suffix in patronymics and certain cognates—suggest that both are members of the Anatolian languages group and the broader Indo-European languages family, the lack of extensive texts prevents a more comprehensive understanding of their grammar and vocabulary.3412