Sumerian Grammar PDF
Preview Sumerian Grammar
HDO1-71-edzard.qxd 09/04/2003 10:03 Page i SUMERIAN GRAMMAR HDO1-71-edzard.qxd 09/04/2003 10:03 Page ii HANDBOOK OF ORIENTAL STUDIES HANDBUCH DER ORIENTALISTIK SECTION ONE THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST EDITED BY H. ALTENMÜLLER · B. HROUDA · B.A. LEVINE · R.S. O’FAHEY K.R. VEENHOF · C.H.M. VERSTEEGH VOLUME SEVENTY-ONE HDO1-71-edzard.qxd 09/04/2003 10:03 Page iii SUMERIAN GRAMMAR BY DIETZ OTTO EDZARD BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2003 HDO1-71-edzard.qxd 09/04/2003 10:03 Page iv This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Edzard, Dietz Otto. Sumerian grammar / by Dietz Otto Edzard. p. cm. – (Handbook of Oriental studies. Section 1, Near and Middle East ; v. 71 = Handbuch der Orientalistik) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 90-04-12608-2 1. Sumerian language–Grammar. I. Title. II. Handbuch der Orientalistik. Erste Abteilung, Nahe und der Mittlere Osten ; 71. Bd. PJ4013.E38 2003 499'.955-dc21 2003049567 ISSN 0169-9423 ISBN 90 04 12608 2 © Copyright 2003 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands EDZARD_f1_v-xviii 4/28/03 2:39 PM Page v v CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................ xi Abbreviations .............................................................................. xiii C O The Sumerian Language .............................. 1 1.1. General Characteristics .................................................. 1 1.2. The (hopeless) question of the linguistic affiliation of Sumerian ........................................................................ 2 1.3. The linguistic environment of Sumerian .................... 3 C T How we read Sumerian ................................ 7 2.1. General ............................................................................ 7 2.2. Spelling of Sumerian .................................................... 8 2.2.1. Classification of cuneograms .............................. 8 2.2.2. Combination of cuneograms; spelling proper .... 10 2.2.3. Evolution of Sumerian spelling .......................... 10 C T Minimalia of Sumerian phonology and syllabic structure .................................................................... 13 3.1. Phonology ...................................................................... 13 3.1.1. Vowels .................................................................. 13 3.1.2. Consonants .......................................................... 14 3.2. Syllable structure ............................................................ 22 C F The “word” in Sumerian, parts of speech ...................................................................................... 23 4.1. “Word” ............................................................................ 23 4.2. Parts of speech .............................................................. 23 C F Substantives .................................................... 29 5.1. General ............................................................................ 29 5.2. Possession ........................................................................ 29 5.3. Number .......................................................................... 31 5.4. Case ................................................................................ 33 5.4.1. Notes on the phonetic and spelling behaviour of the case particles ............................................ 35 5.4.2. Notes on the individual case particles .............. 35 5.4.2.1. Absolutive .............................................. 35 5.4.2.2. Ergative .................................................. 35 EDZARD_f1_v-xviii 4/28/03 2:39 PM Page vi vi 5.4.2.3. Genitive ................................................ 36 5.4.2.4. Locative ................................................ 39 5.4.2.5. Dative .................................................. 40 5.4.2.6. Comitative ............................................ 40 5.4.2.7. Ablative-instrumental .......................... 41 5.4.2.8. Terminative .......................................... 42 5.4.2.9. Directive .............................................. 43 5.4.2.10. Equative .............................................. 44 5.4.2.11. Recapitulation of the case particles .... 44 C S Adjectives .......................................................... 47 C S Determination, specification: demonstrative particles .................................................................................. 49 7.1. -ne(n) ............................................................................ 49 7.2. -bi .................................................................................. 50 7.3. -e(?) ................................................................................ 50 7.4. -ri(?) .............................................................................. 50 7.5. -“e .................................................................................. 51 7.6. Recapitulation .............................................................. 51 C E Overview of the sequence of particles for possession, number and case ................................................ 53 C N Pronouns ........................................................ 55 9.1. Personal pronouns ........................................................ 55 9.2. Possessive pronouns ...................................................... 56 9.3. Demonstrative pronouns .............................................. 57 9.3.1. ur ........................................................................ 57 5 9.3.2. ne-e(n) ................................................................ 57 9.4. Interrogative pronouns ................................................ 57 9.5. Alleged pronouns .......................................................... 58 C T Numerals .......................................................... 61 10.1. General .......................................................................... 61 10.2. Cardinal numbers ........................................................ 61 10.3. Ordinal numbers .......................................................... 66 10.4. Fraction and measure terminology ............................ 67 10.5. Distributional relations of numbers ............................ 67 C E Adverbs ...................................................... 69 EDZARD_f1_v-xviii 4/28/03 2:39 PM Page vii vii C T The verb .................................................. 71 12.1. Preliminaries .............................................................. 71 12.2. ¢am†u and marû .......................................................... 73 12.3. Plural verbs ................................................................ 74 12.4. Verbal base ¢am†u/marû/sg./pl. grids ...................... 74 12.5. Sorts of plurality (¢am†u reduplication) .................... 79 12.6. Note on verbal reduplication .................................... 80 12.7. Conjugation ................................................................ 81 12.7.1. Conjugation pattern 1: Intransitive (and passive) ................................................ 81 12.7.1.1. The verb me .............................. 82 12.7.2. Conjugation pattern 2a: Transitive .......... 83 12.7.3. Conjugation pattern 2b: Transitive .......... 87 12.7.4. Prefixless finite verbal forms ...................... 90 12.7.5. Was Sumerian a language with “split ergativity”? .................................................. 90 12.8. Dimensional indicators .............................................. 92 12.8.1: 1–26. Non-ventive indicators ...................... 94 12.8.2: 27–62. Ventive indicators .......................... 103 12.8.3. Dimensional indicators without reference to a person? ................................................ 109 12.9. Prefixed indicator [e, i] ............................................ 109 12.10. Prefixed indicator [a(1)] ............................................ 111 12.11–12. Modal and connecting indicators ........ 112 12.11. Modal indicators ........................................................ 113 12.11.1. Indicative .................................................... 113 12.11.2. Negative indicative .................................... 113 12.11.2.1. Suffixed -nu ............................ 114 12.11.2.2. [nu] as a separate verbal base 115 12.11.3. Cohortative ................................................ 115 12.11.4. Negative cohortative .................................. 116 12.11.5. Precative .................................................... 116 12.11.6. Vetitive (negative precative) ...................... 117 12.11.7. Affirmative 1 .............................................. 117 12.11.8. Negative affirmative .................................. 118 12.11.9. Prohibitive .................................................. 118 12.11.10. Affirmative 2 .............................................. 119 12.11.11. Affirmative 3 .............................................. 120 12.11.12. Frustrative .................................................. 120 EDZARD_f1_v-xviii 4/28/03 2:39 PM Page viii viii 12.12. Connecting indicators ................................................ 121 12.12.1. Prospective ................................................ 121 12.12.1.1. A precedes B ............................ 122 12.12.1.2. Polite imperative ........................ 122 12.12.2. Connecting indicator [inga] ...................... 123 12.12.2.1. [inga] .......................................... 124 12.12.2.2. [nu-nga] ...................................... 124 12.12.2.3. [ga-nga] ...................................... 124 12.12.2.4. [he-nga] ...................................... 125 12.12.2.5. [na-nga] ...................................... 125 12.12.2.6. [“i-nga] ........................................ 125 12.12.2.7. [nu“-inga] .................................. 126 12.12.2.8. ‘Irregular’ [inga-na] .................. 126 12.12.2.9. Summary of [inga] .................... 127 12.13. Imperative .................................................................. 127 12.13.1. Unextended imperative .............................. 128 12.13.2. Extended imperative .................................. 129 12.14. Non-finite verbal forms .............................................. 130 12.14.1. B-[Ø], B-B-[Ø]: unextended bases ............ 131 12.14.2. B-[a], B-[ed], with or without copula ...... 132 12.14.2.1. B-[a], mes-Ane-pada construction ................................ 132 12.14.2.1.1. B-[a] ...................... 132 12.14.2.1.2. mes-Ane-pada construction .......... 133 12.14.2.2. B-[ed], B-[edam] ...................... 134 12.14.2.2.1. B-[ed] .................... 134 12.44.2.2.2. B-[ed + copula] .... 134 12.14.3. B-[ede], B-[eda], B-[ada] ............................ 134 12.14.3.1. B-[ede] ...................................... 135 12.14.3.2. B-[eda] ...................................... 136 12.14.3.3. B-[ada] ...................................... 136 12.14.4. Conjugated participle or “pronominal conjugation” ................................................ 137 12.14.4.1. 1st sg. ¢am†u ................................ 138 12.14.4.2. 2nd sg. ¢am†u .............................. 138 12.14.4.3. 3rd sg. person class ¢am†u .......... 139 12.14.4.4. 3rd sg. non-person class ¢am†u .... 139 12.14.4.5. 3rd pl. person class ¢am†u .......... 139 12.14.4.6. 1st sg. marû ................................ 139 EDZARD_f1_v-xviii 4/28/03 2:39 PM Page ix ix 12.14.4.7. 2nd sg. marû .............................. 139 12.14.4.8. 3rd sg. person-class marû .......... 140 12.14.4.9. 3rd sg. non-person class marû 140 12.14.4.10. 3rd pl. person-class marû .......... 140 12.14.4.11. Irregular behaviour of the verb ∞ gen/du ............................ 140 12.14.4.12. deli-g∞ u -ne etc. ........................ 141 10 12.14.4.13. Conjugated participles: open questions .................................. 141 12.15. Compound verbs ........................................................ 142 12.15.1. Compound verbs: free formations ............ 143 12.15.1.1. Extended nominal element .... 145 12.15.1.2. “u ti/te(-∞g) and other compound verbs and the special behaviour of their “objects” .................................. 145 12.15.1.3. Complete incorporation of the nominal element ...................... 147 12.15.2. Compound verbs with a verbalizer .......... 148 12.15.2.1. Clear cases of verbalization .... 148 12.15.2.2. Verbalization no longer recognizable to us .................. 149 12.15.3. Difficult case: artificial splits? .................... 149 12.16. Nominalization of finite verbal forms ...................... 150 12.16.1. The nominalized phrase is in the absolutive .................................................... 151 12.16.2. The nominalized phrase is in the genitive 152 12.16.3. The nominalized phrase is in the locative 152 12.16.4. The nominalized phrase is in the ablative 153 12.16.5. The nominalized phrase is in the terminative .................................................. 154 12.16.6. The nominalized phrase is in the equative ........................................................ 154 12.16.7. Nominalized phrase with a possessive particle ........................................................ 154 C T Post-nominal and/or post-verbal particles other than case particles (5.4) ................................ 157 13.1. [(e)“e] ............................................................................ 157 13.2. [g∞ e“en] ([g∞ i“en]) ............................................................ 158
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