Adjectival ša syntagms and adjectives in Old Babylonian

Abstract

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0041977X08000025 How to cite this article: Eran Cohen (2008). Adjectival ša syntagms and adjectives in Old Babylonian. AbstractThis paper describes attribution in Old Babylonian. The principles drawn upon are the traditional view of Akkadian syntax, modern Semitic syntax, and the principles of European structuralism. Bringing all these together, while exemplifying and proving previous unexplained statements by using Old Babylonian material, renders the whole issue tangible for every linguistically-oriented reader. s Ïa syntagms are described, each component separately, as a pronominal construct nucleus with an attribute; this attribute is either a nominal or a clause. s Ïa syntagms, being appositive to a referent substantive (when occurring), are in the same paradigm with adjectives, which are shown to have the same components as s Ïa syntagms: a pronominal nucleus, an attribute and the attributive link between them.

The origin of the Semitic relative marker

“…The relative marker in early Semitic was always a construct form, and thus was always specifically marked as the head of a relative sentence. Evidence for this comes primarily from the Old Akkadian and Eblaite paradigm, where the relative forms do not show the final mimation expected of independent forms (see examples 3 and 4 below), and Classical Ethiopic, where relative forms are marked with - a (see example 5 below), the typical marker of construct state in that language (Goldenberg 1992: 84; Kapeliuk 2003: 220; Cohen 2008: 27–8). Old Akkadian (examples from Hasselbach 2005: 162–4; Kienast and Sommerfeld 1994: 298–301) Sarru-kēn sar Kiš θū Enlil māhira(m) lā iddin-u-sum Sargon king Kish rel.ms.nom Enlil rival.…”