SumerianGrammar

176 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
the X-ship” = “to follow a profession, trade”.—“à-“è gíd “to draw
to the heart” = “to consider carefully” = ana libbim “adàdum (ditto).—
enim-ma tu“ “to (sit to the word =) obey” = ana awàti wa“àbum
(ditto).—ù-ma-a-du 11 “would you please say” (polite imperative, see
12.12.1.2) = qibima “say and ...”.
17.6. APPLICATION OF THE AKKADIAN STATIVE CONJUGATION
PATTERN TO SUBSTANTIVES
In Akkadian, the conjugation pattern ßabtàku, ßabtàta “I am, you are
holding” may also be applied to substantives: belèku, “arràta “I am
lord”, “you are king”. The pattern as such has its counterpart in
the “perfect” of, e.g., Hebrew, Arabic, or Ethiopic, where it is
restricted to verbs. The application to substantives in Akkadian is
most probably due to influence of the Sumerian copula (me, see
12.7.1.1) which is mainly used with substantives: dub-sar-me-en “I
am/you are a scribe”.
Note: Application of the Sumerian copula has not, however, been completely
reflected in Akkadian. So, e.g., ki-á∞g-∞gá-∞gu 10 -me-en “you are my beloved” has no
such Akkadian correspondence as *naràmtì-àti.
17.7. CASE SYSTEM
There is a conspicuous phonetic similarity between Sumerian [(e)“(e)],
mark of the terminative case particle (5.4.2.8), and the ending of the
Akkadian terminative-adverbial [i“]. Although there can be no doubt
of the Semitic background of Akkadian [i“], the fact that the Akkadian
case was maintained throughout the millennia may be due to the
parallel existence of a case with comparable function(s) in Sumerian.
Pedersén 1989, 430–33.
Note: The theory of an original ergativity of Semitic (cf. Diakonoff 1965, 1988;
Kienast 2001, 179; see also p. 141) rests on the misinterpretation of the Akkadian
locative-adverbial case in -um, seemingly identical with the nominative in -um.
The two authors did not consider the important evidence of the construct state
used for Akkadian nominative and locative-adverbial. In the first case -um is eliminated
or replaced by a Stützvokal: bèlum → bèl, wardum → warad, napi“tum →
napi“t(i); in the second case, -um (or more recent -u) is maintained in the construct
state: ßillum Sin “in the shade of the Moongod”, or the [m] is assimilated
to a following consonant: ßilu““u “in his shade”. So, the two cases have to be
strictly kept apart.