The arbitrary nature of Sumerian grammar

It was relatively easy for the scribe to invent Sumerian nouns, a little more difficult to invent
Sumerian verbs, extremely difficult to invent Sumerian adjectives and impossible to invent
Sumerian grammar words. Grammatically speaking Sumerian is dead from the start.
aba !"#$% &'()x* +, IIIb, #ld -kkadian, .agash II, /r III, #ld 0abylonian,
unknown1 wr. a-ba2who$2 -kk. mannu
[1]
a3ba
45 distinct forms attested6 click to view forms table.
1. who? (326x/100%)
7 .+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur a-ba-kam #0 ;agal <=)6 a-ba-am3 #0 ;agal <=>6 a-ba-gin7#0 ;agal
<=?6 a-ba ki-tum2 ni-x-gal ak-a #0 ;agal <4(6 a-ba u en-ra TU-TU
!?
-NE #0 ;agal <4'6 [[a-ba-am3]]
= = A-BA-AM
3
= ma-[an-nu]-um #0 ,iri :ippur Seg.@, 5@..+89unknown9unknown [a]-ba-am3 = mi-nu-
um AS. =5 5) I0 B Ia &B1 Ib B unpubl. fragment #0GT I9(% ii (?CD5C. +.-9+,
IIIb9Girsu e e-a2 en-an-na-tum2-gin7 getu2 a-ba ga2-ga2a3-bi ES 45, 4'= o ii (. +.-9+, IIIb9unknown !umu a-ba-
mu :ik 4, 44> o ii 5. +.-9#ld -kkadian9Girsu nu-ban!a3 a-ba-mu ITT 4, =4''> 56 2"a#$% !umu a-ba-ne-
um FTG (5@ o i @. +.-9/r III9-dab a-[ba e]-mu-gin7 AE: =', '<4 (. +.-9/r III9,rehem a-ba e-mu-
gin7 H,T (, 4'4( @6 a-ba e-mu-gin7 TG. (, <)4= (6 u-bar-tum a-ba TIA =), 4< 5. +.-9/r
III9Girsu &"a#$% &"barig% ur-
!
en-ki
'
im
'
!umu a-ba
'
".G ='= &pl. =(@1 o ii ?6a-ba ama-[mu-gin7] ITT ',
=)<44 56 ki a-ba-a-ta TI. ()4 (. +.-9/r III9:ippur mu 2"!i%&(2"!i% gin2 ku3-babbar ur) a-ba in-*u-ga-e3 :-T:
4'4 456 a-ba ti-la ur-nigar
gar
-ra
!
:-T: 4'4 <6 mu e2 a-ba i3-na-ba-e3 :-T: 4'4 446 a-ba ti-la ur-nigar
gar
-
ra:-T: 4'4 )6 !umu a-ba
'
:FE: 4, 45' (6 a-ba e-mu-gin7 TA" :J 43(, '<5 (.+.-9/r
III9/mma &"!i% a-ba-mu 0I: =<, '=( ''6 *ikil
?
lu2
!?
a3 gal2 ra2-gaba a-ba AE: =5, 4>5 <6 kiib3 a
!
-ba-
mu AE: 4', )4@ o ii 4>6 +"ban2% i3 2"ban2% ka a-ba-ni-a :ik (, '(@ ii 4)6 2"a% 2"barig% a-ba-ni *um-
gi S+T (5= 56 ma2-a a-ba-ar Syracuse =@< '6 a-bau, #ntario (, (<= 4. +.-9/r III9/r a-ba
'
[e]-mu
'
-
gin7 /+T ', ===' (6 a-ba /+T ', 454< (. +.-9/r III9unclear a-ba e-mu-gin7 AE: =', ''( '6 igi a-
ba min-u TIA =', 45> &pl.<<1 46 a-ba e-mu-gin7 K#S =5, 445 46 a-ba e-mu-gin7 TGS 4, 4'4
(6 a-bae-mu-gin7 TGS 4, 4'( '6 a-ba e-mu-gin7 TGS 4, (== '6 a-ba e-mu-gin7 TGS 4, '5)
<. unknown9+, IIIb9.agash a-ba mu-!a-ti 0iAes =', '4 ii (. unknown9+, IIIb9unknowna-ba
!
en-lil2-le ITT <, =@(4<
4. unknown9/r III9Girsu 3"iku% -AN
2
2"barig% 3"ban2% a-ba*i.a u!u gukkal Linbun (4, pl. 44 55 o ii
4'. unknown9/r III9/mma &"!i% u!u a-ba S:-T 5)> '.
7 u.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur [a]-ba in-!a-[///] : <4=> o i (C6 [a]-ba in-!a-[///] : <4=> o i 'C. unknown9+, IIIb9unknown a-
ba [///] ITT <, =@(=( o ii 5.
7 dimcreate%.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur [a]-ba-gin7 al-[!im2] : <4=> o i 4C6 a-ba-gin7 al-!im2 #0 ;agal <=@.
7 eleave%.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur a-ba in-!a-an-e3 #0 ;agal <4=.
7 kitumburial% u.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur [a]-ba ki-tum2 [///] : <4=> o i 5C.
7 namlugalkingship% teMapproach%.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur a-ba nam-lugal-ta im-ti #0 ;agal <45.
7 saeNual%.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur a-ba in-!a-*a2 #0 ;agal <44.
7 Ouhand% u.+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur [a]-ba u en-[///] : <4=> o i <C.
See* tu aba silim.
-kk. mannu 2who$2.
- water B BA allot D a3ba who% is a pun of -kkadian as Sumerian - water
D -kkadian D mu hence it refers to the letter A of -kkadian mannu 2who$2 and Sumerian BA
allot refers to Sumerian bad #H+:% &45>x* +, IIIa, #ld -kkadian, /r III, #ld
0abylonian1 wr. bad6 ba6 be2 2&to be1 remote6 to open, undo6 to thresh grain with a
threshing sledge2 -kk. nes
- water B BA allot D a3ba who% is a pun of the ideograms Au B :esP D
-kkadian mannu 2who$2
0ut why a3ba and not some other word combination. The grammar word is an abstract word
and the combination is arbitrary. "owever, the scribe actually extracted the Sumerian
syllables, more accurately a vowel and a syllable from an -kkadian word.
u -,AIF-TI#:% &<<x* +, IIIb, .agash II, /r III, #ld 0abylonian1 wr. u6 2admiration2
See u dugadmire%.
[1]
u
)
' distinct forms attested6 click to view forms table.
1. admiration (55x/100%)
7 +.-9+, IIIb9:ippur &"iku#$% &(2"iku#$% 0-AN
2
1 u,-e #SH 4, 4(4 r ii (. +.-9/r III9Girsu !a-!a-!u-gi-*ig u,-e3 ITT
<, =?('( '6 x u, x lu2-[///] AE: =@, 4'> <. +.-9/r III9/mma u,*a&2-!u)-ka S-GT (, 45= )6 a-
ba u, #ntario (, (<= 4. unknown9#ld 0abylonian9unknown u, e= ba-ru-u2 AS.SSI, 4>3(> iv 5'. unknown9/r
III9Girsu [///] ka u2 *ag&2 u, unu
ki
AE: 4@, 4<= 5.
See ETCSL: u
)
Dwonder.
u dug -,AIF+% &@(x* #ld 0abylonian1 wr. u6 dug4 2to admire6 to regard, observe2
-kk. amru6 bar
&uadmiration% B dugspeak%1
[1]
u
)
dug
5
) distinct forms attested6 click to view forms table.
1. to admire (3x/3%)
7 .+89#ld 0abylonian9:ippur [[u, 0"!ug+%1]] = = 3-3/E
2
= a-ma-ru-[um] #0 ,iri :ippur 4<>6[[u, 0"!ug+%1]] = = = ba-a-ru-
um #0 ,iri :ippur 4<@.
2. to reard! o"#er$e
-kk. amru 2to see26 bar 2to see, look at2.
The Sumerian scribe chopped the -kkadian word [[u, 0"!ug+%1]] = = = ba-a-ru-um 2to see, look at, wonder2 and
created the grammar word a3ba QwhoR meaning QI wonder whoR
The scribe used the Sumerian expression a-ba u, #ntario (, (<= 4. wonder who% and by
the means of association he created on the spot a new Sumerian grammar word
from the chopped -kkadian verb ba-a-ru-um 2to see, look at, wonder2.
The selection of the chopped -kkadian vowel and syllable and then the use of metathesis is purely arbitrary. "owever, the scribe used the means of
association to the -kkadian idiom in order to give his creation some credit of meaningfulness.