In addition to the formal means of the previous subsection, the prefix /u/of S1 is also involved in indicating the relative time of the verbal event in Sumerian. It denotes anteriority relative to the event of a following clause. If the verb of the following clause is in the present-future, it denotes anteriority in the future, while if it is in the preterite, it denotes anteriority in the past.
Verbal forms with the prefix /u/are as a rule in the preterite.
Verbal tense
The prefix assimilates to the vowel of the next syllable only if it forms an open syllable, see ex. (184) and the first verbal form in ex. (185) below. If it forms a closed syllable, /uC/, then it does not assimilate. Its behaviour gives further support to the assumption that the 3rd ps. sg. human IPP is /nn/, if followed by a vowel. The different vowels of the prefix of anteriority in exx. (183) and (184), /u/vs. /i/, may easily be explained if one assumes that the grapheme NI represents /nni/in the former, but /ni/in the latter.
(182) Iri-kagina 3 2:16’–18’ (Lagash, 24th c.) (P222610)
lu₂ dam u₃-taka₄, kug giŋ₄ 5-am₆,
lu=e dam=ø S1u-S11n-S12taka-S14ø kug giŋ 5=ø=am-ø man=ERG wife=ABS ANT-3.SG.H.A-leave-3.SG.P silver unit 5=ABS=COP-3.SG.S
ensi₂-ke₄, ba-de₆
ensik=e S5ba-S11n-S12de-S14ø ruler=ERG MID-3.SG.H.A-bring-3.SG.P
“If a man divorced (his) wife, the ruler received 5 shekels of silver for himself.”
(183) En-metena 1 6:21–23 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103)
dnin-ŋir₂-su-ke₄, sa-šuš-gal-ne₂, u₃-ni-šuš
ninŋirsuk=e sašušgal=ane=ø S2u-S6nn-S10i-S11n-S12šuš-S14ø DN=ERG battle.net=3.SG.H.POSS=ABS ANT-3.SG.H-L2-3.SG.H.A-cover-3.SG.P
“After Ningirsu had thrown his battle-net on him (= the Ummaite), ….”
(184) Iri-kagina 1 7:17–21 (RIME 1.9.9.1) (Lagash, 24th c.) (P222607) RU-lugal-ke₄, saŋ ašag-ga-na-ka, pu₂ i₃-ni-du₃,
RUlugalak=e saŋ ašag=ane=ak=ʾa pu=ø S1u-S10ni-S11n-S12du-S14ø attendant=ERGhead field=3.SG.H.POSS=GEN=L1 well=ABS ANT-L1-3.SG.H.A-build-3.SG.P
“After an attendant had built his well in the front part of his field (…)”
(185) Amar-Suena 9 32–33 (RIME 3/2.1.3.9) (Ur, 21st c.) (Q000984)
lu2 e2 a-ba-sumun, u3-un-du3
lu e=ø S1u-S5ba-S12sumun-S14ø S1u-S11n-S12du-S14ø man house=ABS ANT-MID-old-3.SG.S ANT-3.SG.H.A-build-3.SG.P
“The man, who, after the temple has become dilapidated, rebuilds it, ….”
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Further readings
The most important article on the forms of the present-future stem is Krecher 1995. A part of the sumerological literature refers to the preterite and present-future tenses of Sumerian with the ancient Akkadian terms as ḫamṭû(“quick”) and marû(“slow”) respectively, see Black 1991: 99–119 on these ancient terms.
Jagersma (2010, especially 359–380) posits a system of aspects in Sumerian, instead of a system of tenses; he distinguishes a perfective and an imperfective aspect. The “classical” account of the various stems used in present-future is Edzard 1976. On the use of the tenses in Sumerian, see Streck 1998. On the use of 3rd ps. sg. non-human prefix /b/in S11 with a plural reference, see Waetzoldt 1992.
On split-ergativity in general and in Sumerian, see Woods 2000: 314–319.
The origin of split-ergativity in the Sumerian verbal system is the subject of two papers. Interestingly their main conclusions are somehow contradictory.
Coghill and Deutscher (2002) argue that the ergative pattern of the preterite arose in Sumerian when a passive structure was reanalysed as active-transitive as it happened in many other languages. Schulze and Sallaberger (2007) conclude that the present-future pattern derives from “the grammaticalization of the antipassive as an accusative construction” (163) as it happened in many other languages. The complexity of the issue is indicated by the fact that both articles needed two authors, an assyriologist and a linguist.
On the function of the prefix of anteriority and on its possible Semitic origin, see Civil 2008.
Exercises
9.1 Look up the new words used in the examples of this lesson in Foxvog’s (2016b) or Volk’s (2012) glossary, and learn them.
9.2 Study the examples of this lesson carefully and make yourself familiar with their grammatical analysis.
9.3 Change the present-future forms into preterite, and the preterite forms into present-future. You must produce only the morphemic segmentation and glossing (2nd and 3rd line of the examples).
Verbal tense
a) mu-ak-ke₄
S4mu-S10n-S12ak-S14e
VEN-L1.SYN-act-3.SG.A
b) ma-ra-ab-mu₂-mu₂
S4mu-S6r-S7a-S11b-S12mu~mu-S14e
VEN-2.SG-DAT-3.SG.NH.P-grow~PF-3.SG.A
c) i₃-ni-gi₄
S2i-S6nn-S10i-S11n-S12gi-S14ø
FIN-3.SG.H-L2-3.SG.A-return-3.SG.P
d) ma-ra-du₃-e
S4mu-S6r-S7a-S12du-S14e
VEN-2.SG-DAT-build-3.SG.A
e) ma-an-šum₂
S4m-S7a-S11n-S12šum-S14ø
VEN-DAT-3.SG.H.A-give-3.SG.P g) ba-ni-gi-in-eš
S5ba-S10ni-S11n-S12gin-S14eš
MID-L1-3.SG.H.A-confirm-3.PL
h) be₂-ŋar-re₂-eš
S5b-S10i-S11n-S12ŋar-S14eš 3.SG.NH-L2-3.SG.H.A-place-3.PL
i) gu₂ ma-si-si-ne
gu=ø S4m-S7a-S12si~si-S14enē neck=ABS VEN-DAT-fill~PF-3.PL.A j) mu-na-dim₂
S4mu-S6nn-S7a-S11n-S12dim-S14ø
VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-3.SG.H.A-create-3.SG.P
k) sizkur₂ mu-na-be₂
sizkur=ø S4mu-S6nn-S6a-S11b-S12e-S14e
prayer=ABS VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-3.SG.NH.P-speak.PF-3.SG.A
9.4 Go to the ETCSRI corpus (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/corpus) and write
“V12=STEM-PF” (without the quotation marks) in the Search Oracc box. You will have all the verbal forms listed which use a special present-future stem. Collect them and pair them with their preterite stem.
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9.5 Translate the text Lugal-kigine-dudu 1 (RIME 1.14.14.01) (Uruk, 24th c.) (Q001368) with the help of Volk’s (2012) or Foxvog’s (2016b) glossary. Add morphological segmentation and glossing to the text. Then go to the ETCSRI edition of the text (http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001368), click on the “proofing” link on the left side of the page, and compare your glosses with ETCSRI’s glossing.
1. den-lil₂
2. lugal kur-kur-ke₄
3. lugal-ki-ŋen-ne₂-du₇-du₇-ra 4. ud den-lil₂-le
5. gu₃ zid e-na-de₂-a 6. nam-en
7. nam-lugal-da 8. e-na-da-tab-ba-a 9. unugki-ga 10. nam-en
11. mu-ak-ke₄ 12. urim₂ki-⸢ma⸣
13. nam-lugal 14. mu-ak-ke₄
15. lugal-ki-ŋen-ne₂-du₇-du₇-de₃ 16. nam gal ḫul₂-la-da
17. den-lil₂ lugal ki aŋ₂-ne₂ 18. nam-til₃-la-ni-še₃ 19. a mu-na-ru
Verbal tense
L ESSON 10
V ERBAL PLURALITY
The alternation of the verbal stem has two main functions in Sumerian: i) to signal the present-future tense; ii) to signal verbal number. The former was discussed in the previous lesson. This lesson describes the formal means used to signal verbal number in Sumerian.