Download Ebook - The Knowledge Den

136 SUMERJAN GRAMMAR
tion is Jaid " Cyl. A 11, 18. igi-gar ma-sid-da, 'the reckoning has been
counted " NJK. 175 rey. 11 2.
Middle voice. § 190. The middle voice can be exemplified for ba only (na was
Difficult
constructions
of obligue
subjects.
avoided since it would have been confused with the negative na ').
ud-ba pa -te-si-ge kalam- ma-na zig-ga ba-ni-gar, 'then the patesi in
his land took taxes fol' himself', Cyl. A 14, 7. In Cy!. B 4, 2-5 occur
mi-ni-gar, ba-an-sum and ba-ni-sig in identical constructions, with the
difference that the two forms with ba add the nuance of reflexiveness to
the verbo The choice of ba for the middle voice to the exclusion of ma
depends upon an inner psychological distinction of the elements m and
b which as yet escapes uso ma in the middle voice may exist in nam-ni
ma-ni-kub-du, ' whose oath he has sworn for himself', SAK. 18 V 33;
compare the active nam mu-na-kud-du, 'an oath he has sworn to him',
ibid. 14 XVI 19,
§ 191. An indirect element may, as we have seen, stand for the
subject in case the subject is intimately connected with an adverbialnotion,
01' has been harmonized by an indirect elemento There remain, however,
examples whose constructions offer great difficulty as ma-da-na, '(tothe
patesi) whoshall constrnct (my tem pie)' 2. Apparently ma here represents
the subjeci without any accessory notion whatsoever. Obligue subjects
are particularly freguent in com pound verbs ; á-ba-il-il, 'he exalted it' 3.
9 ú-im-má-si/¡-sig, 'it will enrich' 4. gú-ma-sif¡-sig-ne,' they assem­
ble' 5. In certain cases ma appears to indicate the dative of the first per­
son, as in nig mas-gig-ge ma-ab-gin-a-má, 'that which midnight brought
to me', where the subject seems to be omitted 6. The same construction
1. For na su bject and passive we have but one example, e iclim-sú na·e, 'The
canal was dug to the water-level', SAK. 14 XVI 24.
2. Cyl. A 9, 7.
3. Cyl. A 22, 23, compound of first class, see HaD., n, 78.
4. lbid., 9, 18.
5. lbid., 10, 29.
6. lbid., 1,27.
,
JI¡"
'