An introduction to the grammar of Sumerian Gábor Zólyomi with the collaboration of Szilvia Jáka-Sövegjártó and Melinda Hagymássy Version 4/21/16 (corrected typos, inconsistencies; solution key to exercises added) Budapest 2016 Language editor: Vera Benczik Supported by the Higher Education Restructuring Fund allocated to ELTE by the Hungarian Government (Project no. FSA0103-22) Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................. i Abbreviations in the morphemic glossings ............................................................. iv A short index of subjects ............................................................................................. v Foreword ............................................................................................................................ vii Lesson 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Sources .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Some features of the Sumerian writing system .................................................. 2 1.3 Dialects .................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 The Sumerian-Akkadian bilingualism ................................................................. 4 1.5 From cuneiform script to modern linguistic analysis ....................................... 5 1.6 The linguistic study of Sumerian ......................................................................... 6 Further readings and resources ................................................................................. 7 Lesson 2: Phonology ......................................................................................................... 9 2.1 The consonants ...................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Vowels and vowel harmonies ............................................................................. 10 2.3 Syllable structure and stress .............................................................................. 13 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 14 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 14 Lesson 3: The nominal template and the non-adverBial cases ....................... 17 3.1 The nominal template ......................................................................................... 17 3.2 The ergative and the absolutive case ................................................................. 20 3.3 The genitive case .................................................................................................. 21 3.4 The equative case ................................................................................................. 22 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 23 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 23 Lesson 4: Genitive constructions .............................................................................. 27 4.1 Modifying genitive constructions ...................................................................... 27 4.2 Left-dislocated genitive constructions .............................................................. 29 4.3 Genitive constructions with suspended cliticization ....................................... 30 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 32 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 32 Lesson 5: Pronouns, adverBs, and numerals ......................................................... 35 5.1 Pronouns ............................................................................................................... 35 5.2 Adverbs of manner and the adverbiative .......................................................... 40 5.3 Numerals ............................................................................................................... 42 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 44 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 44 Lesson 6: The verBal template ................................................................................... 47 6.1 The general structure of the finite verbal form ............................................... 47 6.2 The prefixes of S11–15 ......................................................................................... 47 6.3 The adverbial prefixes ......................................................................................... 48 6.4 The prefixes of S1–5 ............................................................................................. 50 i 6.5 Observations on the functioning of the finite verbal form ............................. 51 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 55 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 55 Lesson 7: Non-finite verBal forms and relative clauses ..................................... 57 7.1 Non-finite verbal forms ....................................................................................... 57 7.2 The subordinator suffix (Slot 15) ....................................................................... 59 7.3 Relative clauses .................................................................................................... 60 7.4 Non-finite verbal forms expressing a purpose ................................................. 63 7.5 Non-finite verbal forms as adverbial clauses of time ...................................... 65 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 66 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 66 Lesson 8: Non-verBal predication and other uses of the copula .................... 69 8.1 Copular clauses ..................................................................................................... 69 8.2 Non-verbal predicates without a copula ........................................................... 73 8.3 Copular biclausal constructions ......................................................................... 74 8.4 The copula functioning as standard marker ..................................................... 76 8.5 The copula functioning as focus marker ........................................................... 76 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 78 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 78 Lesson 9: VerBal tense .................................................................................................. 81 9.1 The formal marking of the tenses ...................................................................... 81 9.2 The preterite ........................................................................................................ 83 9.3 The present-future .............................................................................................. 84 9.4 The prefix of anteriority ..................................................................................... 87 Further readings ........................................................................................................ 88 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 88 Lesson 10: VerBal plurality ......................................................................................... 91 10.1 Event number ..................................................................................................... 91 10.2 Participant number ........................................................................................... 92 Further reading .......................................................................................................... 94 Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 94 Lesson 11: The prefixes of Slots 2–6 ........................................................................ 97 11.1 The finite-marker prefixes (Slot 2) .................................................................. 97 11.2 The coordinator prefix (Slot 3) ....................................................................... 100 11.3 The ventive prefix (Slot 4) .............................................................................. 101 11.4 The middle prefix (Slot 5) ............................................................................... 106 11.5 The initial pronominal