SUMERIAN

LESSON 14
written with the grapheme NI, but it is assumed in this textbook that the “high”
and the “low” forms were /ni/ and /ne/ respectively, reflected by the
transliteration ni- and ne₂-.
In its basic function the locative1 indicates a location inside something, see,
e.g., ex. (335) above, exx. (378) and (379) below; or a movement inside
something, see exx. (380)–(382) below. The location may also be within an
abstract entity like a “statement”, as in ex. (383) below.
(378) En-metena 1 6:28–29 (RIME 1.9.5.1) (Lagash, 25th c.) (Q001103)
šag₄ iri-na-ka, ḫa-ne₂-gaz-zeₓ(AB₂.ŠA₃.GE)
šag iri=ane=ak=ʾa S1 ḫa- S10 ni- S11 n- S12 gaz- S14 e
heart city=3.SG.H.POSS=GEN=L1 MOD-L1-3.SG.H.P-kill-3.SG.A
“May (the people) kill him in the middle of his city!”
(379) MVN 3, 363 rev. 3–5 (Drehem, 21st c.) (P113923)
kišib₃ ur- d šul-pa-e₃-ka, bešeŋ ur- d ba-u₂-ka
kišib uršulpaek=ak bešeŋ urbauk=ʾa
seal PN₁=GEN basket PN₂=L1
i₃-in-ŋal₂-la-ta,
tur-re-dam
S2 i- S10 n- S11 ŋal- S14ø-S15ʾa=ta
tur-ed=ø=am-ø
FIN-L1.SYN-exist-3.SG.S-SUB=ABL small-PF=ABS=COP-3.SG.S
“These (various animals) are to be subtracted from the sealed tablet of Ur-Shulpae
that is in the basket of Ur-Bau.”
The locative1 may be the very first prefix of a verbal form. Illuminating about
this phenomenon are the two forms of the same verb in exx. (380) and (381)
below: both forms are transitive and must contain a locative prefix, ex. (381)
differs only in the presence of a ventive prefix.
Verbal forms like the one in ex. (380) were earlier transliterated as i₃-ŋar
( S2 i- S11 n- S12 ŋar- S14 ø = FIN-3.SG.H.A-place-3.SG.P). Verbal forms like the one in ex.
(382), however, suggest that the form should start with a prefix /ni/: because
of the vowel harmony, a form like S2 i- S11 n- S12 ŋar- S14 ø would be written as e-
ŋar around the middle of 3rd millennium BCE. In the context of ex. (382) the
graphemes NI GAR may therefore only be transliterated as ne₂-ŋar ( S10 ni- S11 n-
S12ŋar- S14 ø = L1-3.SG.H.A-put-3.SG.P), but not as i₃-ŋar.
(380) Gudea Cyl. A 18:24 (Lagash, 22nd c.) (ETCSL 2.1.7)
gu₃-de₂-a im u₃-šub-ba ni-ŋar
gudea=e im=ø ušub=ʾa S10 ni- S11 n- S12 ŋar- S14 ø
PN=ERG clay=ABS mould=L1 L1-3.SG.H.A-place-3.SG.P
“Gudea put clay into the mould.”
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