𒈨
See also: Appendix:Variations of "me"
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Translingual
Cuneiform sign
𒈨 | Sign Number | |
---|---|---|
MZL | 753 | |
Deimel | 532 | |
HZL | 357 | |
Components | ||
𒁹, 𒀸 |
Derived signs
- 𒃲
- 𒅆
- 𒅴
- 𒈥
- 𒉿
- 𒋥
- 𒎌
References
- R. Borger, Mesopotamisches Zeichenlexikon (MZL), Münster (2003)
- A. Deimel, Šumerisches Lexikon (Deimel), Rome (1947)
- Chr. Rüster, E. Neu, Hethitisches Zeichenlexikon (HZL), Wiesbaden (1989)
Akkadian
Sign values
Sign | 𒈨 |
---|---|
Sumerograms | IŠIB, ME, MEŠ₂ |
Phonetic values | me, mi₃, šib/šip |
Sumerian
Verb
𒈨 • (me)
- to be
- 𒂷𒂊 𒀀𒈾𒈨𒂗 ― g̃e₂₆-e a-na-me-en /g̃e anamen/ ― What am I?
- 𒈠𒈬𒁮 ― ma-mu-dam /mamudam/ ― It was a dream.
- 𒂷𒂊 𒅇 𒍝𒂊 𒋀𒈨𒂗𒉈𒂗 ― g̃a₂-e u₃ za-e šeš-me-en-de₃-en /g̃e u ze šešmenden/ ― You and I are brothers.
Usage notes
- 𒈨 (me) is only used as a copula. To express the existential meaning of "to be somewhere", "to be there" the verb 𒅅 (g̃al₂ /g̃al/) is used instead.
- The copula is inflected like an intransitive verb in the perfective. Independent and enclitic forms are in complementary distribution: the enclitic form is used when the copula would otherwise only consist of a vocalic prefix, verbal stem and person suffix; the independent form is used in all other cases.
- The copula lacks the distinction of tense and aspect. Only the context can clarify whether the copula refers to past, present or future.
- In Old Sumerian, the final consonant of the person suffixes was not written (so both 𒈨𒂗 (me-en /men/) and 𒎌 (me-eš /meš/) were written 𒈨 (me)); the third person enclitic form was written 𒀭 (am₆ /am/).
- After clitics ending in a vowel, the third person enclitic form 𒀀𒀭 (am₃ /am/) was reduced to /m/ already in Old Sumerian. Like other syllable-final consonants, it was never written during that period and only occasionally from Old Akkadian on:
- 𒂍𒈬 ― e₂-g̃u₁₀ /eg̃ûm/ ― it's my house
Inflection
Conjugation of 𒈨 (me) | ||
---|---|---|
independent | enclitic | |
1st singular | 𒈨𒂗 men | |
2nd singular | 𒈨𒂗 men | |
3rd singular | 𒈨 me | 𒀀𒀭 am |
1st plural | 𒈨𒂗𒉈𒂗 menden | |
2nd plural | 𒈨𒂗𒍢𒂗 menzen | |
3rd plural | 𒎌 meš |
Pronoun
𒈨 • (me /mē/)
- (enclitic) our (first-person plural possessive pronoun)
Usage notes
- The /e/ of 𒈨 (me) does not contract with the locative case marker:
- 𒌷𒈨𒀀 ― iri-me-a /irimē'a/ ― in our city
- The /e/ of 𒈨 (me) contracts with the vowel of the genitive case marker, resulting in /ê/:
- 𒂕𒁾𒈨𒅗 ― egir dub-me-ka /egir dubmêka/ ― on the reverse of our tablet
See also
Sumerian possessive pronouns | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
1st singular | 𒈬 g̃u | 𒈨 mē | |
2nd singular | 𒍪 zu | 𒍪𒉈𒉈 zunēnē | |
3rd singular | hum. | 𒀀𒉌 ane | 𒀀𒉈𒉈 anēnē |
nhum. | 𒁉 be |
See also
- Sumerian terms spelled with 𒈨
References
- “𒈨 (me)” in ePSD2
- Jagersma, Bram (2010) A Descriptive Grammar of Sumerian (doctoral thesis), page 677