Johnson 2004 - CDLI - UCLA

Since it is an achievement predicate, we might expect that there would be no ergative
case-marked agent, but the introduction of ßu allows the agent to appear in the clause as
the inalienable possessor of ßu in the ergative case. Thus the contrast between pseudo-
agentive ßu compound verbs and true BNBV inal compound verbs in ßu on the basis of
whether or not the main verb bears the nominalizing/resultative suffix, *-a, only seems to
apply to non-adjectival verbs. Of course, it is not particularly surprising that fientive
verbs bearing the nominalizing/resultative suffix and adjectival roots are more or less
interchangeable.
(75) Lament over Sumer and Ur [2.2.3], ll. 407-410 (Karahashi 2000, 153)
407. lu 2.kar.ra.bi dub 3 nu.um.zil.e As for its refugees, they were unable to flee,
bad 3 za 3.ga bi 2.in.dab 5.be 2.eß they were trapped inside the walls,
408. uruda alan uzug x(AN.ZAG).ge The statues that were in the treasury were
si.a.bi gu 2.guru 5 ba.an.ne.eß cut down,
409. d nin.i 3.gara 2 aœrig ma˙.e The great stewardess Ninigara abandoned
erim 3.ma ßu bi 2.in.dag the storehouse,
410. œiß gu.za.bi igi.bi.ta ba.e.ßu 2
170
As for its throne, it was cast down before
sa˙ar.ra ba.da.an.tuß them, (and) she threw herself down into
the dust,
Other examples of the ßu bi 2.in.dag construction include Enmerkar and the Lord of
Aratta [1.8.2.3], lines 558-562, Eridu Lament [2.2.6], line 6/7, and Nippur Lament
[2.2.4], line 88 (Karahashi 2000, 153-154).