SumerianGrammar

THE VERB 121
[nu“] is so far only found in literary and lexical contexts. Ebla
NU.U” = lu-wu-um, ( l)a-wu-um represents, in its Akkadian column,
precative [luw] and hypothetical [law] in substantivized form. Cf.
Krebernik 1983, 23 f. n. 78; 45:1439, as well as apud Edzard 1984,
115 n. 1.
!
sipa-∞gu 10 hi-li-a-ni nu-u“-ma (-da)-an-ku 4 -ku 4 [nu“-ma/mada-n(i)-
kuku] ∞gá-e ba-ra-ku 4 -ku 4 -dè-en “Would that my shepherd (= the dead
Ur-Namma) (could still) bring in unto me (var. with me) his beautiful
features; as for me (= lamenting Inana), I will certainly not
enter (there again)” Ur-Namma’s Death 213.
u ∞ gu é-na∞ gál-la-àm = ùma pukku
4 -ba ge“ ellag-∞ gar-ra-ka nu-u“-ma-da-∞
10
ina bìt naggàri lù ezib “If only on that day my hoop() had stayed
with me in the carpenter’s house” = “had the hoop() but stayed
on that day in the carpenter’s house” Gilgame“, Enkidu and the
Netherworld 172 (= EG XII 1).
[nu“] may perhaps be segmentized into negative [nu] + [”], but the
nature of the second element would remain quite uncertain. Civil 1983,
51, proposed *nu-“è-; but *nu-“i-, i.e., a—rhetoric—negation of affirmative
3, cannot be ruled out, nor can some other unknown origin.
For rare spelling variants nu-ú“-, né-e“-, and ni-i“- see Attinger
1993, 297.
12.12. CONNECTING INDICATORS
12.12.1. Prospective
Prospective [U] has two main functions: (1) it serves to indicate that
the verbal idea expressed by form A precedes (in time or argument)
the verbal idea expressed by a subsequent form B, e.g., “after I had
done A, I did B”. A syntagma [U]- ...-A,...-B sometimes comes
close to a conditional clause, “if A, then B”.
(2) [U] expresses a polite imperative: “after you did A (I would
be grateful)” = “would you please do A”.
Note: Cf. English “if you would (kindly) close the window” which equals “close
the window, please”.
[U] is written ù- (also u- in post-OB or in Emesal); a- before ba-
(a-ba-), and ì- before bí- (ì-bí-).
The prospective cannot, most probably, be negated: *“after I did
not see him, I went home”; at least, no examples are known.