The writing system indicates the existence of four vowels. Vowel length was probably phonemic but as the writing system did not indicate vowel length systematically, this assumption is partly based on circumstantial evidence like, e.g., Sumerian loanwords into Akkadian.
Table 2.2:The vowels
The assimilation of certain verbal prefixes containing the graphoneme {i}or {e}in respect of vowel height to the vowel of the following syllable, the so-called
“Old Sumerian vowel harmony” was an isogloss dividing cities in southern Babylonia (Lagash, Umma, Ur and Uruk, which exhibit the assimilation) from cities further north in Babylonia (Nippur, Adab, Shuruppag and Isin) in the 25th–23rd centuries BCE. In subsequent centuries, the assimilation disappeared.
The following prefixes take part in this vowel assimilation:
— The finite marker /i/(see Lesson 11, section 11.1 below). The graphoneme {e}is written with the sign E as in exx. (1), (3), and (9) below; the graphoneme {i}is written with the sign NI (= i₃) as in exx. (2), (4), (10) below.
(1) En-metena 1 3:4 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103)4 e-ma-ta-bala
S2i-S4m-S5ba-S9ta-S10e-S11bala-S14ø
FIN-VEN-MID-ABL-L2-cross-3.SG.S
FRONT BACK
HIGH {i} {u}
LOW {e} {a}
Phonology
4 Q-numbers and P-numbers refer to the catalogue-numbers of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative Project (http://www.cdli.ucla.edu). Q-numbers refer to compositions, P-numbers to manuscripts. In the morphemic segmentation of the finite verbal forms subscript “S + number”
refers to the verbal slots discussed in detail in Lesson 6 below.
(2) DP 218 rev. 4:2 (Lagash, 24th c.) (P220868)5 i₃-tud-da-a
S2i-S11n-S12tud-S14ø-S15ʾa-ʾa
FIN-3.SG.H.A-bear-3.SG.P-SUB-L1
— The ventive prefix followed by a 3rd ps. sg. non-human composite locative2 or locative3 prefix (see Lesson 14, section 14.3 and 14.4). The graphoneme {e}
is written with the sign ME as in ex. (3) below; the graphoneme {i}is written with the sign MI as in ex. (4) below.
(3) En-metena 1 2:5 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103) e-me-sar-sar
S1i-S4m-S5b-S10i-S11n-S12sar~sar-S14ø
FIN-VEN-3.SG.NH-L2-3.SG.H.A-write~PL-3.SG.P
(4) En-metena 23 30 (RIME 1.9.5.23) (Lagash, 25th c.) (P222530) i₃-mi-dug₄-dug₄
S2i-S4m-S5b-S10i-S11n-S12dug~dug-S14ø
FIN-VEN-3.SG.NH-L3-3.SG.H.A-do~PL-3.SG.P
— The 3rd ps. sg. non-human composite locative2 or locative3 prefix (see Lesson 14, section 14.3 and 14.4 below). The graphoneme {e}is written with the sign BI (= be₂) as in ex. (5) below; the graphoneme {i}is written with the sign NE (= bi₂) as in ex. (6) below.
(5) Iri-kagina 1 4:8 (RIME 1.9.9.1) (Lagash, 24th c.) (P222607) be₂-ŋar-re₂-eš
S5b-S10i-S11n-S12ŋar-S14eš 3.SG.NH-L2-3.SG.H.A-place-3.PL
(6) En-metena 1 2:8 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103) bi₂-gi₄
S5b-S10i-S11n-S12gi-S14ø
3.SG.NH-L3-3.SG.H.A-return-3.SG.P
— The terminative prefix (see Lesson 13, section 13.2 below). The graphoneme {e}is written with the sign ŠE₃ as in ex. (7) below; the graphoneme {i}is written with the sign ŠI as in ex. (8) below.
LESSON2
30
5 Abbreviations follow the conventions of the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (http://cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/abbreviations_for_assyriology).
(7) En-ana-tum I 5 4:8 (RIME 1.9.4.5) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001090) ḫe₂-na-še₃-ŋal₂
S1ḫa-S2i-S6nn-S7a-S9ši-S11n-S12ŋal-S14ø
MOD-FIN-3.SG.H-DAT-TERM-3.SG.H.A-exist-3.SG.P
(8) En-metena 1 6:8 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103) ḫe₂-na-ši-gub
S1ḫa-S2i-S6nn-S7a-S9ši-S12gub-S14ø
MOD-FIN-3.SG.H-DAT-TERM-stand-3.SG.S
— The locative1, and 3rd ps. sg. human composite locative2 or locative3 prefix (see Lesson 14, section 14.2, 14.3 and 14.4 below). The graphoneme {e}is written with the sign NI (= ne₂) as in ex. (9) below; the graphoneme {i}is written also with the sign NI (=ni) as in ex. (10) below.6
(9) En-metena 23 18 (RIME 1.9.5.23) (Lagash, 25th c.) (P222530) e-ne₂-pad₃-da-a
S2i-S6nn-S10i-S11n-S12pad-S14ø-S15ʾa-ʾa
FIN-3.SG.H-L2-3.SG.H.A-find-3.SG.P-SUB-L1 (10) DP 103 rev. 2:1 (Lagash, 24th c.) (P220753)
i₃-ni-gi₄
S2i-S6nn-S10i-S11n-S12gi-S14ø
FIN-3.SG.H-L2-3.SG.H.A-return-3.SG.P
The signs used to write the graphoneme {i}remained in use after the vowel harmony disappeared.
Based on the writing system used to record Sumerian in the first part of the 2nd millennium BCE, Sumerian appears to have only four vowels; i.e., the writing system distinguishes four vowels, see Table 2.2 above. There exist, however, data which suggest that the writing system used in the 2nd millennium BCE may not have reflected the number of vowels in the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE adequately.
Table 2.3 below shows the correspondences between the vowel of the verbal prefixes and the vowel of the stems as reflected in our transliteration system in texts form around the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE from places which exhibit vowel harmony. It is based on data collected by Keetman (2014: 144–
149). The table shows, for example, that all the verbal stems transliterated with
Phonology
6 Note that both the “high” and the “low” forms were written with the same grapheme, but it is assumed in this textbook that the “high” and the “low” forms were pronounced differently.
the graphoneme {a}, e.g., ŋar“to place”, or ak“to act”, occur with a “low”
version of the verbal prefix, which undergoes vowel assimilation.
Table 2.3:Correspondences of verbal prefixes and verbal bases
The problem occurs with the stems transliterated with {u}or {e}graphonemes.
Some of them occur with the “low”, some with “high” prefixes. The data in Table 2.3 suggests that the vowels written as {u}and {e}might have had a high and low variant in Sumerian, making the number of vowels 6, a suggestion already put forward by Poebel (1931: 6). Keetman (2005) goes further and he does not consider it impossible that the Sumerian vowel system consists of 7 or 9 vowels.
Table 2.4 below shows a possible interpretation of Poebel’s suggestion, using the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet. It shows that, for example, the graphoneme {u}may correspond in fact both to a low back vowel [ɔ]and a high back vowel [u].
Table 2.4: The assumed two classes of vowels in respect of height
Vowel harmony — the agreement among vowels in successive syllables in respect to one or more features — is also attested among the vowels of a word stem in Sumerian. In particular, the vowels of the syllables often appear to be the same in polysyllabic Sumerian words, i.e., they are transliterated with the same graphoneme, e.g., zalag“to be bright”, saḫar“dust”, ŋiri₃“foot”, gibil
“to be new”, tukul“weapon”, sukud“height”.
The phenomenon is also attested with loan words, with the advantage that the original form of the word is also known, e.g., gada< Akk. kitûm“linen”,
PREFIX / STEM {i} {u} {e} {a}
{i} 8 31 6 0
{e} 0 9 4 27
PREFIX VERBAL STEM
LOW {e} = [ƫ] or [æ]
{a} = [a]
{e} or {a} = [ƫ] or [æ]
{u} = [Ƨ]
HIGH {i} = [i]
{e} = [e]
{i} = [i]
{u}= [u]
LESSON2
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libir< Akk. lab(ir)um“to be old”, niŋir< Akk. nāgirum“herald”, silim< Akk.
šal(i)mum“to be healthy”.
There also exist words which are attested both in forms with two similar and with two different vowels: a-gu₃vs. ugu“skull”, a-nevs. e-ne“he”, ḫa-luḫ vs. hu-luḫ“to be afraid”, u₃-šubvs. i₃-šub“brick-mold”.
The last two groups of the words involved suggest that it is the vowel of the first syllable that assimilates to the vowel of the second one, which may well be due to the stress on the last syllable of the words, see the next subsection.