SumerianGrammar

148 CHAPTER TWELVE
12.15.2. Compound verbs with a verbalizer
Attinger 1993, 179, noted that there is a group of compound verbs
with the bases du 11 (-g)/e/di or AG essentially serving the function
of turning a noun into a verb, i.e., serving as verbalizers.
Note: Verbalization is a wide-spread phenomenon. It is realised, morphologically,
either (a) by a special ending attached to the noun or (b) by a special verb. For
(a) note, in Indo-European, -ize (English), -(is)ieren (German), -iser (French), etc.,
and for (b) etmek “to do” (Turkish), kardan “to do” (Persian). Semitic languages
have not developed a productive way to verbalize nouns: here examples such as
Akkadian ruggubu “to provide with a roof/an upper storey (rugbu)” or Arabic talfana
“to telephone” (extremely unpopular) are rather exceptions to the rule.
Sumerian would belong to category (b).
Attinger 1993 collected 213 examples for x du 11 (-g)/e/di. A count
for x AG has not yet been made. While verbalization applies to the
majority of verbal compounds of the types x AG or x du 11 (-g)/e/di,
there certainly is a number of verbs which should rather be classified
under 12.15.1, “free formations”; however, our modern interpretation
is often arbitrary.
We will only quote a few examples each for (a) evident verbalization
and (b) uncertain cases. In general, Attinger 1993 should be
consulted for du 11 (-g)/e/di.
12.15.2.1. Clear cases of verbalization
á“ du 11 (-g)/e/di “to say a curse” = “to curse”; di du 11 (-g) “to say,
make legal case” = “to judge”; A-nir du 11 (-g) “to say a lamentation”
= “to lament”; gù du 11 (-g) to say, make a voice” = “to shout, yell,
roar”; ∞gì“ du 11 (-g) “to do the penis” = “to have intercourse with a
woman”; ma“kim du 11 (-g) “to do the bailiff ” = “to act as a bailiff ”;
tu 6 du 11 (-g) “to say an incantation” = “to conjure”, etc.
Note: No references are offered because all the evidence is amply available in
Attinger 1993, 414–765 (alphabetical catalogue).
[e 4 ] pa 5 -bi “u-bala ba-ra-ak-ke 4 (-n) “I will not—I swear—change (the
course) of (Girsu’s) canals and dykes” Ean. 1 r. i 20–21.
“u bala “to make the hand go across something” is a compound
in itself; it has been verbalized—or re-verbalized—by the addition
of AG “to make”; “to effect a change”.
PN1–5 enim PN 6 -ra in-na-an-e“-a [i-na-n-e-(e)“-a] “u-bala bí-in-AGé“
“PN 1 ...PN 5 (changed =) contradicted what they had said to
PN 6 ” NG no. 113:17–24.
sa-gaz lú mu-na [mu-n-a(k)] “someone committed a robbery here”
NG no. 121:3.
Note: There is no need to restore mu-na, as Falkenstein did in his edition.