SUMERIAN

The ablative and the terminative case
mu-na-ta-šum₂
S4 mu- S6 nn- S7 a- S9 ta- S11 n- S12 šum- S14 ø
VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-ABL-3.SG.H.A-give-3.SG.P
“In addition to the rulership of Lagash, she also gave him the kingship of Kish.”
The ablative may also be used in a temporal sense: noun phrases in the ablative
answer the question “since when?” as in exx. (332) and (333) below.
(332) TCS 1, 148 obv. 6 (Umma, 21st c.) (P141927)
mu d šu- d suen lugal-ta
mu šusuen lugal=ta
year RN king=ABL
“Since the year: Šu-Suen (became) king”
(333) Nik 1, 156 rev. 1:4 (Lagash, 24th c.) (P221925)
eŋir₄ gurum₂-ma-ta
eŋir gurum=ak=ta
back inspection=GEN=ABL
“After stock-taking”
When used as an adnominal ablative, the noun phrase in the ablative is in an
attributive relation to another noun, i.e., it functions as its modifier. The most
common function of the adnominal ablative is to denote the origin or location
of an entity.
The noun phrase in the ablative may relate syntactically to the modified
noun in three different ways:
i) the noun phrase in the ablative may be part of the noun phrase whose head
is the modified noun. In ex. (334), it occupies P2 of the noun phrase whose head
it modifies, and is followed by a possessive pronominal enclitic in P3 and
a case-marker in P5. In ex. (344), the noun phrase kug-babbar 8 giŋ₄-ta
functions as the modifier of ḫar, and is followed by a case-marker in P5. In ex.
(347), it occupies P2 of a noun phrase that itself functions as the possessor of
another noun phrase. The analysis of exx. (335) and (336) is corroborated by
the verbal form in ex. (335). Here the finite verb is in the 3rd ps. pl., which
indicates that Dudu with his wife and child(ren) function together as the
subject of the verb.
ii) the noun phrase in the ablative is outside the noun phrase whose head it
modifies. In exx. (337)–(340) the noun phrase in the ablative is unlikely to be
part of the noun phrase whose head it modifies. Syntactically it is a separate
noun phrase that nevertheless functions as the attribute of the noun phrase in
the ergative in exx. (337), (338), and (340), and in the locative2 in ex. (339).
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