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Johnson 2004 - CDLI - UCLA

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through the use of the cleft sentence, whereas a constituent that bears informational focus<br />

remains in situ and has a distinctive intonation.<br />

The difference between identificational and informational focus in Sumerian (as<br />

briefly noted in relation to examples (1) and (3) in section 4.2 above) is that<br />

identificational focus regularly makes use of the copula, whereas informational focus<br />

does not make special use of the copula.<br />

(43) The Tale of Gudam [1.3.4], ll. 10-11<br />

10. i 3.gu 7.a.zu i 3.gu 7.a.zu As for what you have eaten, as for what you<br />

11. ninda nu.e.gu 7 uzu.zu.um i 3.gu 7<br />

309<br />

have eaten,<br />

(44) Gilgamesh and the Netherworld [1.8.1.4], ll. 175 and 179<br />

175. œiß e.ke 4.ma.œu 10 ganzer.ße 3<br />

…<br />

mu.da.ßub a.ba.a ma.ra.ab.e 11.de 3<br />

It was not bread that you have eaten, it was<br />

your flesh that you have eaten!<br />

As for my ekema, it has fallen into Ganzer,<br />

who will descend on my behalf?<br />

179. œiß e.ke 4.ma.zu ganzer.ta œa 2.e As for your ekema, I shall retrieve it from<br />

ga mu.ra.ab.e 11.de 3<br />

Ganzer for you,<br />

In (43), it seems clear that uzu.zu.um (< *uzu.zu.am 3) contrasts with ninda, since ninda<br />

is followed by the negative form of the same verb that follows uzu.zu.um. Although both

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