• Nem Talált Eredményt

The equative case expresses a  relation of comparison between two noun phrases. The equative case-marker attaches to the noun phrase that functions as the basis of the comparison, called the standard in linguistic literature. The equative case-marker is the enclitic =/gen/, written with the sign DIM2 (= gen₇).

In linguistics one may distinguish betweeni) equative constructions, which express sameness of extent, and ii)similative constructions, which express sameness of manner. In English, the equative and the similative constructions are different, as the examples in Table 3.5 below show:

Table 3.5: Equative and similative constructions

In Sumerian, however, the equative and similative constructions are the same, neither of them contains a parameter marker, and the standard marker is the equative enclitic =/gen/ in both. They may be distinguished only on the basis of their meaning.

Ex. (25) below is a personal name containing an equative construction. The goddess Bau functions as standard, and the standard marker is the equative enclitic.

(25) CTNMC 4 5:19 (Lagash, 24th c.) (P247619)

dba-u2-gen7-a-ba-sag9

P1bau=P5gen P1aba=P5ø S2i-S12sag-S14ø

P1DN=P5EQU P1who=P5ABS FIN-fine-3.SG.S

“Who-is-as-kind-as-the-goddess-Bau?”

Exx. (26) and (27) below are similative constructions; the standards of the comparison, “the new moon” in the former, and “a bull” in the latter, are case-marked with the enclitic =/gen/:

COMPAREE PARAMETER

MARKER

PARAMETER STANDARD MARKER

STANDARD

i) You are as kind as Bau.

ii) Ninurta roars like a storm.

LESSON3

44

(26) Gudea Cyl. A 24:10 (Lagash, 22nd c.) (ETCSL 2.1.7)

ud-sakar gibil-ø-gen₇ men bi₂-il₂

P1udsakar P2gibil-ø=P5gen P1men=P5ø S5b-S10i-S11n-S12il-S14ø

P1crescent.moonP2new-TL=P5EQU P1crown=P5ABS 3.SG.NH-L3-3.SG.H.A-carry-3.SG.P

“He (= Gudea) had it (= the temple) wear a tiara shaped like the new moon.”

(27) Lugal-zagesi 1 2:30–32 (RIME 1.14.20.1) (Uruk, 24th c.) (Q001379)

urim₂ki-e gud-gen₇ saŋ an-še₃

P1urim=P5e P1gud=P5gen P1saŋ=P5ø P1an=P5še

P1GN=P5ERG P1bull=P5EQU P1head=P5ABS P1sky=P5TERM mu-dab₆-il₂

S4mu-S6n-S7da-S11b-S12il-S14ø

VEN-3.SG.H-COM-3.SG.NH.A-raise-3.SG.P

“Ur raised its head to the sky like a bull because of him.”

Constructions with the enclitic copula may also be used in a similative function, see Lesson 8, section 8.4 below.

Note that the two adnominal cases discussed in this lesson differ in their syntactic behaviour. The genitive relates two nominals within a noun phrase, i.e., possessor and possessum form one single noun phrase. The noun phrase in the equative, however, constitutes a separate noun phrase, outside the noun phrase with which it compares.

Further readings

On the case system of Sumerian see Zólyomi 2010, who argues that cases should not be distinguished solely based on the form of their case-markers; the distribution of the case-marked words should also be taken into consideration.

The 3rd ps. possessive enclitics =/ane/and =/be/are assumed to be =/ani/

and =/bi/in the earlier literature. This textbook follows Jagersma (2010: 214–

217), who, based on their writings, argues convincingly that their last vowel is in fact /e/.

The syntax of noun phrases with the equative enclitic is discussed in Sövegjártó 2011. For a typological study of equative and similative constructions in the languages of Europe, see Haspelmath and Buchholz 1998.

The nominal template and the non-adverbial cases

Exercises

3.1 Look up the words used in the examples of this lesson in Foxvog’s (2016b) or Volk’s (2012) glossary, and learn them.

3.2 Provide a morphemic segmentation and glosses to the noun phrases below based on the transliterations and translations provided. The grammatical function of the noun phrases is indicated in brackets.

a) arad₂ nin-a-na-ke₄ “his lady’s servant” (A) b) iri-ne₂ “his city” (A)

c) nin diŋir-re-e-ne “the lady of the gods” (S) d) lugal-ŋu₁₀ “my master” (A)

e) nam-til₃ šeš-a-ne-ne “the life of his brothers” (P) f) niŋ₂ šu-ŋa₂ “the thing of my hand” (S)

g) arad₂-zu “your servant” (S)

h) inim diŋir-re₂-ne “the order of the gods” (P)

i) e₂ iri nam-lugal-ŋa₂-ka “the temple of the city of my kingship” (P) j) dumu ensi₂ lagaški-ka-ke₄ “the son of the ruler of Lagash” (A) k) ama diŋir-re-ne-ke₄ “the mother of the gods” (A)

l) lugal an-ub-da limmu₂-ba-ke₄ “the king of the four quarters” (A) m) diŋir-ŋu₁₀-gen₇ “like my personal god”

n) šu maḫ-ne₂ “his mighty hand” (P) o) mu-be₂ “its name” (S)

p) dumu diŋir-ra-ne-ne-ne-ke₄-ne “the children of their gods” (A) q) e₂-ne-ne “their temple” (P)

r) diŋir-re-ne “the gods” (A) s) bad₃ gal-be₂ “its great wall” (P) t) lugal-ne₂ “for his king” (DAT)

3.3 Mark the positions and add the missing morphological glosses in the noun phrases below. Translate the noun phrases, too. All the information you need may be found in Foxvog’s glossary (2016b) or can be figured out from the translation (given only in difficult cases). (PN = Personal Name, DN = Divine Name, GN = Geographical Name)

a) lugalazida arad lugalkigal=ak=ø

PN₁ PN₂

b) namlugal kiš=ak=ø kingship GN LESSON3

46

c) biluda diŋir=enē=ak=e

rite =L3.NH

d) diŋir galgal-ø lagaš=ak=enē=e big~PL-TL =ERG

e) e=ŋu=ø f) namtil=ane=ø

g) kisura ninŋirsuk=ak=e border DN =L3.NH

h) en aratta=ak=e lord GN =ERG

i) zapag=zu=ø cry

j) nu girin-ø=ʾa bed pure-TL=L2.NH

k) a dug-ø=ø

water sweet-TL

l) mesalim lugal kiš=ak=e

PN GN =ERG

3.4 The following noun phrases consist of the same morphemes, but in a different order. What is the consequence of these differences on the meaning of the noun phrases? Please translate them!

a)

1. P1a-zu P3[P1šeš=P3ane=P4enē=P5ak]=P5ø 2. P1a-zu P3[P1šeš=P3ane=P5ak]=P4enē =P5ø b)

1. P1anše P2libir-ø P3[P1šeš=P3ŋu=P5ak]=P5ø 2. P1anše P3[P1šeš P2libir-ø=P3ŋu=P5ak]=P5ø

3.5 There is something wrong with the following examples, except for one. Please, identify the problem in each case.

a) P1eP3[P1diŋir P2gal-ø=P5ak]=P4enē=P5ø

“the temples of the great god”

The nominal template and the non-adverbial cases

b) P1azu P2zid-ø P3[P1lugal=P4enē=P5ak]=P5ø

“the good doctors of the king”

c) P1dam P2zid-ø=P3ane=P5ak

“his good wife”

d) P1namtil=P3ŋu

“my well-being”

e) P1ezem P2gal-ø=P4enē=P5ø

“the great festivals”

f) P1kugsig P1kugbabbar=P3zu=P5ø

“your gold and silver”

g) P1geme P2libir-ø P3[P1damgar=P3ane]=P5ø

“the old female servant of the merchant”

3.6 Go to the ETCSRI corpus (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/corpus) and write “N5=ERG” (without the quotation marks) in the Search Oracc box. Find and make a list of the graphemes that may be used to write the ergative case-marker, depending on the morpheme or phoneme before the case-marker! Try to find differences depending on the location or period of the texts! If you are uncertain about the morphological make-up of a word, follow the link to the text, then either place the cursor over the word in question, or click on the word “Proofing” on the left side of the page.

3.7 Go to the ETCSRI corpus (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/corpus) and write “N4=PL” (without the quotation marks) in the Search Oracc box. Find and a  make list of the graphemes that may be used to write the plural-marker, depending on the morpheme or phoneme before and/or after the plural-marker!

If you are uncertain about the morphological make-up of a word, follow the link to the text, then either place the cursor over the word in question, or click on the word “Proofing” on the left side of the page.

3.8 Go to the ETCSRI corpus (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/corpus) and write either “N3=ju” or “N3=ani” (without the quotation marks) in the Search Oracc box. Find and a make list of the graphemes that may be used to write the 1st ps. sg. or 3rd. ps. sg. human possessive enclitic, depending on the morpheme or phoneme before and/or after them! Try to find out differences depending on the location or period of the texts! If you are uncertain in the morphological make-up LESSON3

48

of a word, follow the link to the text, then either place the cursor over the word in question, or click on the word “Proofing” on the left side of the page.

3.9 Transliterate the text of Ur-Nanshe 26 (RIME 1.9.1.26) (Lagash, 25th c.) (P222380) (a handcopy of the text can be found at http://cdli.ucla.edu/P222380) with the help of Volk’s sign list (2012). Translate the text with the help of Foxvog’s glossary (2016b). Gloss all the words of the text (except for the verbal form) in the way it is done in this textbook. Then go to the ETCSRI edition of the text (http://oracc.

museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001042), click on the “proofing” link on the left side of the page, and compare your glosses with ETCSRI’s glossing. Which grammatical elements are not written in the orthography of this early text?

The nominal template and the non-adverbial cases

L ESSON 4

G ENITIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

The genitive construction in ex. (28) is of the most familiar type both in terms of its meaning and construction: it expresses possession and the possessor, the noun phrase in the genitive case, occupies P3 of the noun phrase whose head is the possessum.

(28) Iri-kagina 1 4:9 (Lagash, 24th. c) (Q001124) gud diŋir-re₂-ne-ke₄

P1gud P3[P1diŋir=P4enē=P5ak]=P5e

P1ox P3[P1god=P4PL=P5GEN]=P5ERG

“The oxen of the gods”

There exist, however, other types of genitive constructions which differ from this common type. This lesson describes the most important characteristics of three “atypical” genitive constructions. In modifying genitive constructions,the noun phrase in the genitive functions as the modifier of the head, which also affect its syntactic behaviour: it occupies P2 but not P3 of the noun phrase. In left-dislocated genitive constructionsthe possessor occupies a position before the noun phrase whose head is the possessum. In genitive constructions with suspended cliticizationonly the last of the coordinate genitive constructions is case-marked.