SUMERIAN

Genitive constructions
lu₂ inim-ne₂ ib₂-kur₂-a
P1 lu P2 [ P1 inim= P3 ane= P5 ø S2 i- S11 b- S12 kur- S14 e- S15ʾa]= P5 ø
P1 man P2 [ P1 word= P3 3.SG.H.POSS= P5 ABS FIN-3.SG.NH.P-change-3.SG.A-SUB]= P5 ABS
“the man who changes the orders of Gudea, the ruler of Lagash”
In the following example the possessum of the left-dislocated possessor e=ak
(house=GEN) is itself a left-dislocated possessor. This doubly left-dislocated
genitive construction may be derived from an underlying double genitive
construction in two steps as is shown in a)–c) below.
(40) Gudea Cyl. A 6:1–2 (Lagash, 22nd c.) (ETCSL 2.1.7)
e₂-a du₃-ba mul kug-ba,
P1 e= P5 ak P1 du= P3 be= P5 ak P1 mul P2 kug= P3be= P5ʾa
P1 house= P5 GEN P1 building= P3 3.SG.NH.POSS= P5 GEN P1 star P2 holy= P3 3.SG.NH.POSS= P5 L2.NH
gu₃ ma-ra-a-de₂
P1 gu= P5 ø S4 ma- S6 r- S7 a- S10 e- S11 n- S12 de- S14 e
P1 voice= P5 ABS VEN-2.SG-DAT-L2-pour-3.SG.A
“She will announce to you the holy stars of the building of the house.”
c) P1 e= P5 ak P1 du= P3 be= P5 ak
P1 house= P5 GEN
P1 mu
P1 star
P1 building= P3 3.SG.NH.POSS= P5 GEN
P2 kug= P3be= P5ʾa
P2 holy= P3 3.SG.NH.POSS= P5 L2.NH
*b) P1 du P3 [ P1 e= P5 ak]= P5 ak P1 mul P2 kug= P3be= P5ʾa
P1 building P3 [ P1 house= P5 GEN]= P5 GEN P1 star P2 holy= P3 3.SG.NH.POSS= P5 L2.NH
*a) P1 mul P2 kug P3 [ P1 du P3 [ P1 e= P5 ak]= P5ak]= P5ʾa
P1 star P2 holy P3 [ P1 building P3 [ P1 house= P5 GEN]= P5 GEN]= P5 L2.NH
In Sumerian, the order of the words preceding the verb is determined by the
information structure of the clause. Information structure is understood “as
a phenomenon of information packaging that responds to the immediate
communicative needs of interlocutors” (Krifka 2007:13). The left-dislocated
genitive functions to move the possessor into a sentence-initial position,
thereby making the possessor the topic of the clause, because of which the
clause will be construed as being about the possessor, i.e., the clause will express
information which is relevant to and which increases the listener or reader’s
knowledge of this constituent.
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