SUMERIAN

LESSON 16
ḫe₂-eb₂-ta-ku₅-e,
ga-mu-na-ab-silim
S1 ḫa- S2 i- S5 b- S9 ta- S12 ku- S14 e S2 ga- S4 mu- S6 nn- S7 a- S11 b- S12 silim
MOD-FIN-3.SG.NH-ABL-break-3.SG.A MOD-VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-3.SG.NH.P-heal
“If he strikes with it (= the axe), his arm cannot get tired; if he breaks it, I will
repair it for him.”
As a deontic marker, the prefix /ḫa/- expresses a realizable wish, a request, or
an advice. Transitive action verbs prefixed with a deontic /ḫa/- use the presentfuture
tense.
(490) FaoS 19, Gir23 obv. 7–rev. 1 (Lagash, 23rd c.) (P217056)
⸢lugal-ka⸣, ḫe₂-me-šum₂-mu
lugalka=e S1 ḫa- S6 mē- S7 a- S12 šum- S14 e
PN=ERG MOD-1.PL-DAT-give-3.SG.A
“May Lugalka hand it over to us!”
(491) TCS 1, 61 3–6 (Nippur, 21st c.) (P134662)
m er₃-ra-ga-ši-ir, dumu nibru ki -kam,
erragašir=ø dumu nibru=ak=ø=am-ø
PN=ABS child GN=GEN=ABS=COP-3.SG.S
ur-sag₉-ga, ḫa-mu-na-šum₂-mu
ursaga=ra S1 ḫa- S4 mu- S6 nn- S7 a- S11 n- S12 šum- S14 e
PN=DAT.H MOD-VEN-3.SG.H-DAT-3.SG.H.P-give-3.SG.A
“(Tell Ea-bani:) ‘He must hand over Erra-gashir, (who is) a citizen of Nippur, to
Ursaga!’”
(492) Shulgi H Segment D 19 (ETCSL 2.4.2.08)
uŋ₃-e u₂ nir-ŋal₂ ḫa-bi₂-ib₂-gu₇-e
uŋ=e u nirŋal-ø=ø S1 ḫa- S5 b- S10 i- S11 b- S12 gu- S14 e
people=L3.NH food fine-TL=ABS MOD-3.SG.NH-L3-3.SG.NH.P-eat-3.SG.A
a dug₃ ḫa-bi₂-na₈-na₈
a dug-ø=ø S1 ḫa- S5 b- S10 i- S11 b- S12 na~na- S14 e
water sweet-TL=ABS MOD-3.SG.NH-L3-3.SG.NH.P-drink~PF-3.SG.A
“May he (= Shulgi) make the people eat fine food, may he make them drink sweet
water!”
As a marker of deontic modality expressing a realizable wish, /ḫa/- can be
contrasted with the prefix /nuš/- which expresses an unrealizable wish: in ex.
(493) below, Inana mourns the dead king Ur-Namma, and she knows that her
wish may not be fulfilled.
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