Akkadian Grammar Study Guide 004

Vowel Syncope

• Two light syllables cannot stand immediately next to one another.

  • If two stand next to each other, the second is syncopated (the vowel is omitted).

    eg. **napišātum > napšātum

  • Exceptions can occur:

    • at the end of a word (most often prepositions) eg. ina
    • before a vowel (rabiam)
    • before r and l (zikarum, ubilū)
    • other exceptions less frequently

Adjectives

Attributive Adjective

• Endings are the same as nouns.
  • Exceptions:
    • masculine plural endings are -ūtum, -ūtim
    • no dual adjectives; dual nouns take a feminine plural adjective
• Directly modify a noun (mighty kings)
• Follow the modified noun (šarrū dannūtum, mighty kings)
• Agree with the noun in gender, number, case
• Can modify more than one noun (compound antecedent)
  • takes a plural adjective (abum u mārum dannūtum, the mighty father and son)
  • mixed gender takes a masculine adjective (abum u ummum dannūtum, the mighty father and mother)

Substantizing Adjectives

• Any adjective can be used as a noun.
• In the masculine plural, the noun (-um/im) or adjective (-ūtum/ūtim) endings may be used.
• Feminine singular may be used as an abstract noun (eg. damqum = “the good man”, but damiqtum = “goodness”)

The G Verbal Adjective

• Many adjectives are formed from the verbal root.
  • not all verbal roots have attested verbal adjectives
  • more rarely vice versa
  • meaning is related to the verbal root in a generally passive manner (i.e. “to strike” (maḫaṣum) becomes “struck” (maḫṣum), not “striking”)
• The G verbal adjective pattern is parVs (R₁aR₂VR₃), where V is a short vowel.
  • most of the time V is i; must be memorized when not i
  • V is only visible in the feminine singular due to Vowel Syncope (above)
  • V is not necessarily the same as the theme vowel

ul(a)

• Negates the predicate of a main clause
• Placed immediately before the verb. (ḫuraṣam ina bītim ul aṣbat)
• If no verb, placed immediately before predicate. (ul šarrum ša Bābilim šu)