SUMERIAN

LESSON 11
The most detailed description of the functions of the middle voice in
Sumerian can be found in Woods’s monograph (2008: 87–97, 163–212, 225–267).
His survey of the linguistic background of the middle voice is very useful and
illuminating.
On the ventive prefix Foxvog 1974 and Krecher 1985 are still the most
important studies. Woods 2008 also extensively discusses the function of the
ventive prefix; see, however, Keetman 2015 who points out the inherent flaws
in Woods’s approach, which does not recognize morphological variants
conditioned by the morphological context, and assigns functions to the ventive
(namely the expression of control to the allomorph /mu/) that characterize in
fact the conditioning morpheme (the pronominal prefix /n/, the 3rd. ps. sg.
marker of A in S11), but not the ventive. See also Keetman 2015b. Kouwenberg
2008 discusses the use of the ventive in Akkadian, providing an interesting and
illuminating comparison with the Sumerian ventive.
Exercises
11.1 Look up the new words used in the examples of this lesson in Foxvog’s (2016b) or
Volk’s (2012) glossary, and learn them.
11.2 Study the examples of this lesson carefully and make yourself familiar with their
grammatical analysis.
11.3 Try to create the passive version of the following Sumerian clauses by leaving out
the A, adding the /ba/- prefix, and transforming the verbal form. You must
produce only the morphemic segmentation and glossing (2nd and 3rd line of the
examples). Note that two verbal forms are impossible to form, i.e., the prefix /ba/-
prefix and one of their prefixes are incompatible!
a) en-me-er-kara₂-ra d en-ki-ke₄ ŋeštug₂ mu-na-an-šum₂
enmerkar=ra enkik=e ŋeštug=ø S4 mu- S6 nn- S7 a- S11 n- S12 šum- S14 ø
PN=DAT.H DN=ERG ear=ABS VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-3.SG.H.A-give-3.SG.P
b) nam-lu₂-lu₇ šag₄ iri-na-ka, ḫa-ne₂-gaz-zeₓ(AB₂.ŠA₃.GE)
namlulu=e šag iri=ane=ak=ʾa S1 ḫa- S10 ni- S11 n- S12 gaz- S14 e
people=ERG heart city=3.SG.H.POSS=GEN=L1 MOD-L1-3.SG.H.P-kill-3.SG.A
c) d nin-ŋir₂-su-ke₄, sa-šuš-gal-ne₂ u₃-ni-šuš
ninŋirsuk=e sašušgal=ane=ø S2 u- S6 nn- S10 i- S11 n- S12 šuš- S14 ø
DN=ERG battle.net=3.SG.H.POSS=ABS ANT-3.SG.H-L2-3.SG.H.A-cover-3.SG.P
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