Johnson 2004 - CDLI - UCLA

In (30), the final verb in a series of verbs that describe the storm appears in the form
*mini-√. The lines following line 82 treat other figures such as the sun-god Utu and the
storm does not recur in these lines, so the final verb in line 82 cannot be acting as a
topicalized phrase for a following predicate. In my view, the use of *mini-√ in line 82
acts to demarcate a sequence of lines from an unrelated sequence to follow.
(31) Nippur Lament 103-104 (Vanstiphout 1985, 3; Tinney 1996, 104-105, 150, 207)
102. uru 2 œal 2.la.bi nu.œal 2.la As for their city, which once existed, it is
mi.ni.in.ku 4.ra.am 3
103. dim 2.ma.bi œiri 3
ib 2.ta.an.kur 2.ra.am 3
229
the one that became, lit., was made,
non-existent,
As for their reason, it was what got lost,
104. umuß.bi in.su˙ 3.am 3 lil 2.e As for their intelligence, he confused it and
bi 2.in.sag 3.ga.am 3
105. u 2.bi a.bi ib 2.ta.an.kar.ra.am 3
made it haunted,
As for their food, as for their water, it was
what they were deprived of,
106. ga zu kaß zu.a u 4.bi As for their time of familiarity with milk
mi.ni.ib.til.la.am 3
and beer, it is what was brought to an
end,
In (31), we see the combination of a topicalized phrase, uru 2 œal 2.la.bi, and a
corresponding, presumably “identificational,” *mini-√ construction followed by the
copula. The identificational character of the *mini-√ construction is fairly clear and