Sumerian language. Russian Sumerian dictionary online Learn Sumerian language

About 4000 BC, an amazing people came to Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern Iraq) - the Sumerians. The invention of agriculture and the wheel is attributed to them. In addition, they invented writing, made a discovery that completely changed the entire course of human history, the Internet is one of the many consequences of this discovery of the Sumerians.

The fact that they came from somewhere far away is evident from their language, it reflects the mountainous nature of their ancestral home; in Sumerian “country” is called the word “kur” (“mountain”), the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, where there are no mountains, built mountains themselves , ziggurats on which they built their temples.

The Sumerians called their language “eme-gir”, “eme” means “language”, “gir” (some believe that the sign reads “ku”) means “noble” (in Sumerian the definitions were placed after the defined one). In addition to the local dialects that naturally existed in every city-state of the Sumerians, their language had another important division: in addition to the usual language “eme-gir”, there was also a second variant of the language, “eme-sal”. Sumerologists are still actively arguing about the translation of this name; the most likely translation of the word “sal” can be considered “thin”. Some religious texts were recorded on “eme-sal”, which probably should have been performed by a female choir. Often in sacred texts, gods speak to some gods in “eme-gir”, and to others in “eme-sal”. These two variants of Sumerian differed mainly phonetically; there were also morphological and lexical differences, but they were much smaller. The main theory about the nature of "eme-sal" now is that it was a feminine language, a phenomenon that is found in many languages ​​around the world.

Sumerian stopped being spoken around 2000 BC. e. But then for at least another 1000 years this language was studied in the schools of Babylon and Assyria. All our knowledge of the Sumerian language is based on dictionaries that the Babylonians created to facilitate the study of Sumerian in their schools. In addition to the translation of words, these dictionaries also contained their transcription, so now in general terms we can quite accurately imagine how the Sumerian language sounded. I write “in general terms” and “pretty accurately” because this transcription was written in Assyrian cuneiform, a writing system that was not very suitable for conveying foreign words; it could not represent all sounds.

The illustration shows the Sumerian text of Ur-Nammu, king of the city of Ur, 2112 - 2094 BC. e. The following is written there:
“For Inanna, his mistress, Ur-Nammu, a mighty man, king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad, he built her temple.” Inanna, daughter of Nanna, was one of the main Sumerian goddesses, the mistress of love, fertility, the morning and evening star.

The only book about Sumerian in Russian, grammar:
(the book is not very good, written in dry, official language, without love for the subject)

The only Sumerian textbook in the world in English, Tom, the cat of my friends from Hamburg, sleeps on it. The book is gorgeous, a masterpiece, the price on Amazon starts from $100.
John L. Hayes, A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts, Malibu, UNDENA, 1990
For this book, I made a list of cuneiform characters found in the first ten lessons, such a mini-dictionary.

How many words are there in Sumerian?

How many words do you need to know to navigate the Sumerian texts? How many are there anyway? Not millions. There are 3,064 different words used in Sumerian literary texts. More than a thousand of them are consumed only 1 or 2 times and can be classified as rare. Others are used much more often. Frequency dictionaries are compiled precisely according to this principle. First come the words that are used most often. To understand every fourth word in Sumerian texts, it is enough to know the 23 most commonly used words. words. And every third is only 36. If you imagine that every sentence in any language can be reduced to three-part information that “someone” + “something” + “did”, then in almost every Sumerian sentence you will understand at least one word out of three. And if you know 172 words, then 2 out of 3... Knowing only 79 of the most common words, you can honestly say that you know the Sumerian language “halfway...” Of course, this is a joke. It is a rich and developed language, with almost as many words as the Bible. But nonetheless...

#25 The first 25 words account for ©26.7% of all words in Sumerian texts. Sumer: Sumerian language
December 26th, 2010
Occurrence (frequency of use) for every 1,000 words of Sumerian texts:
The list is compiled based on an analysis of 411 original Sumerian literary texts totaling 131,106 words. This does not include proper names, geographical names, etc., which are given in a separate list.
****
@dug4 SPEAK 21.1
@ki EARTH 18.6
@shu PALM 15.4
@gal BIG 13.5
@lu2 MAN 13.3
@e2 HOUSE 12.3
@gar LAY 12.3
@step4 HEART 11.5
@ chickens MOUNTAIN 11.3
@ lugal TSAR 10.8 ("big man")
@ud DAY 10.8
@ igi EYE 10.2
@ kug LIGHT 9.5
@an SKY 9.4
@sag HEAD 8.9
@ en LORD 8.7
@ e3 ENTER or EXIT 8.5
@ak DO 8.5
@ lips PUT 7.8
@gen GO 7.7
@gal2 LOCATED 7.7
@nig2THING 7.6
@iri CITY 7.2
@de6 CARRY 7.1
@zid RIGHT 7.1

#50 ©40.3% Sumer: Sumerian language: Sumerian language dictionary
December 26th, 2010
@"gi4" RETURN 7.0
@ "max" MIGHTY 6.8
@"inim" WORD 6.5
@"me" BE 6.5
@ "dingir" GOD 6.4
@ "a" WATER 6.4
@ "dumu" CHILD 6.4
@ "dug3" GOOD 6.3
@ "zu" KNOW 5.9
@ "a2" HAND 5.6
@ "me" LIVING BEING 5.5
@ "noise2" GIVE 5.1
@"la2" HANG 5.1
@ "us" DESTINY 5.1
@ "ca2" EQUAL 5.0
@"il2" RAISE 4.9
@ "nin" MISTRESS 4.7
@ "du3" RIGHTEN 4.6
@ "tar" CUT 4.5
@ "sag9" GOOD 4.4
@"ge26" I am 4.4
@ "gu2" NECK 4.3
@ "gu3" VOICE 4.2
@ "kalam" SUMER 4.2
@ "tuku" TAKE 4.0
*** The first #50 words cover 40.30% of the Sumerian texts.

#75 ©49.1% Sumer: Sumerian language: Sumerian language dictionary
December 26th, 2010
@ "gu7" IS 4.0
@ "du8" SPREAD 4.0
@ "ama" MOTHER 4.0
@"mu" NAME 4.0
@"de2" LIT 3.9
@"zig3" GET UP 3.9
@"dub5" GRAB 3.8
@"pad3" FIND 3.8
@"those" APPROACH 3.7
@ "ag2" MEASURE 3.6
@ "ur-sag" HERO 3.6 ("dog head")
@ "kur9" ENTER 3.5
@ "court" FAR 3.5
@ "for" YOU 3.5
@ "there" BIRTH 3.4
@ "ah" FATHER 3.4
@ "ka" ROT 3.3
@ "si" ROG 3.3
@ "weights3" LEG 3.2
@ "blasphemy2" JOYFUL 3.1
@ "ug3" PEOPLE 3.1
@ "us2" NEIGHBOR 3.0
@ "ni2" FEAR 2.9
@ "noon" PRINCE 2.9
@ "shub" FALL 2.7
*** The first #75 words cover 49.14% of the Sumerian texts. Sumer * Sumerian language * Sumerian language

#100 ©55.1% Sumer: Sumerian language: Sumerian language dictionary
December 26th, 2010
@ "good" BULL 2.7
@ "zag" SIDE 2.7 (literally "shoulder")
@"gish" TREE 2.7
@ "bar" PUT Aside 2.7
@ "ri" DIRECTION 2.7
@ "ghoul" DESTROY 2.6
@ "sipad" SHEPHERD 2.6 ("branding horns")
@ "mu" YEAR 2.6
@ "tush" SIT 2.5
@ "well2" GO TO LIE 2.5
@ "she" BARLEY 2.5
@ "si" FILL 2.4
@"mu2" GROW 2.3
@ "and for what? 2.3
@"dirig" EXCELLENT 2.3
@"sig10" PLACE 2.3
@ "gig" SICK 2.2
@ "du7" PERFECT 2.2
@ "blasphemy" EVIL 2.1
@"til3" LIVE 2.1
@"kur2" VARIOUS 2.1
@ "ball" REVERSE 2.1
@ "tag" TOUCH 2.1
@ "tour" SMALL 2.0
@ "hur-sag" MOUNTAIN RANGE 2.0 ("scratch"+"head")
*** The first #100 words cover 55.18% of the Sumerian texts.
©Note: The figurative designation of mountain ranges hur-sañ: “scratching heads” has a counterpart in European languages. Spanish sierra - “saw”, Russian “ridge, head (of a mountain)”. Those Ukrainian “khmarochos” are taxi skyscrapers. Sumer: Sumerian language

Sumerian Dictionary: #101-125 BEAT-STRONG 59.9% Sumerian words
December 26th, 2010
@ "ra" BEAT 2.0
@ "ash3" CHAPEL 2.0
@ "za-gin3" LAZURITE 2.0 ("mountain beads")
@ "y2" GRASS 2.0
@"ed3" CLIMB or DESCEND 2.0
@ "ud" STORM 2.0
@ "id2" WATER FLOW 1.9
@"where" CUT 1.9
@ "dagal" EXTENSIVE 1.9
@ "a-ba" WHO? 1.9
@ "pa" BRANCH 1.9
@ "gestug2" EAR 1.9 ("garment of hearing")
@ "barag" DASHBOARD 1.8
@ "zi" LIFE 1.8 (literally: "breath")
Note: In the Bible texts this word is used in the same sense. "...and breathed into him the breath of life..." (Book of Genesis). The Russian words "spirit", "soul" and "inspiration" contain the same root.
@"dib" PASS 1.8
@"guide2" LONG 1.8
@ "bar" OUTSIDE 1.8 (literally: "side")
@ "ma2" BOAT 1.8
@ "dam" WIFE 1.8
@ "i3" OIL 1.7
@ "munus" WOMAN 1.7
@"er2" TEAR 1.7
@ "gen6" DURABLE 1.7
@ "nam-lugal" REIGN 1.7 ("fate of the king")
@ "kalag" STRONG 1.7

SUMER: SUMERIAN LANGUAGE: DICTIONARY OF THE SUMERIAN LANGUAGE
#150 (63.8% of all Sumerian words)
@ "me3" BATTLE 1.7
@ "he2-gal" ABUNDANCE 1.7 ("let it be!")
@ "shul" YOUTH 1.7
@ "hall" GO 1.6
@ "uh-no" HE, SHE 1.6
@ "shesh" BROTHER 1.6
@ "sag3" BEAT 1.6
@ "gaba" CHEST 1.6
@ "nag" DRINK 1.6
@ "hee-lee" BEAUTIFUL 1.5
@"til" FULL 1.5
@ "sikil" PURE 1.5
@"dili" ONLY 1.5
@ "e2-gal" PALACE (" big house") 1.5
@ "mushen" BIRD 1.5
@ "edin" STEPPE 1.5
@"cache2" LINK 1.5
@ "hush" FURIOUS 1.5
@ "abzu" GROUNDWATER 1.4
@ "nin9" SISTER 1.4
@ "amash" SHEEP PEN 1.4
@ "ku6" FISH 1.4
@"ball2" NUMBER 1.4
@ "tukul" WEAPONS 1.4
@"ur2" ROOT 1.4

Sumerian Dictionary: #176-200 TIRED - TERRIBLE GLOW 69.8% of all Sumerian words
December 26th, 2010
@ "kush2" TIRED 1.1
@ "gi6" NIGHT 1.1
@ "am" WILD BULL 1.1
@ "giri17-zal" JOY 1.1
@ "za3-mi2" PRAISE 1.1
@ "gur" ROTATE 1.1
@ "ki-bal" REBEL COUNTRY ("inverted land") 1.1
@ "a-step4" FIELD 1.1
@"tesh2" CONSENT 1.1
@"di" COURT 1.1
@ "ki-tush" PLACE OF RESIDENCE ("place+sit") 1.1
@ "sugar" SAND 1.1
@ "y3" And 1.1
@ "ki-sikil" GIRL ("clean place") 1.1
@ "ab2" COW 1.1
@ "gi" REED 1.1
@"ni2-bi" YOURSELF 1.0
@"car" RUN AWAY 1.0
@ "dul" FOLD TOGETHER 1.0
@ "kug" PRECIOUS METAL ("shiny") 1.0
@ "ur5" TOT 1.0
@ "shir3" SONG 1.0
@ "tah" ADD 1.0
@"kig2" SEARCH 1.0
@ "me-lem4" "TERRIBLE GLOW" 1.0

The question of the Sumerian language is perhaps the most important secret of this civilization. Archaeologists do not have much, but still have enough objects for excavation - the ruins of Sumerian cities hidden under the ground and sand. Historians study, translate and compare the texts of the cuneiform clay tablets of the Sumerians, which contain information about various spheres of life of this society, from everyday everyday issues to diplomatic treaties and legendary epics. But linguists still can’t solve the problem: about a century and a half ago they deciphered the Sumerian cuneiform, but the research doesn’t go any further...

Much is known about the Sumerian language...

However, it is not entirely correct to talk about the Sumerian language as completely mysterious. In fact, information about the language of this ancient civilization scientists have a lot. Thanks to the deciphering of cuneiform tablets, historians were able to find out that the Sumerian language spread to Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC and was used as the main spoken language until the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. After this, the spoken language of these territories became the language of the new conquerors, the Akkadians, but the Sumerian language continued for many centuries to remain the main universal written language of the region, actively used for contacts between various peoples and states. The use of the Sumerian language finally ceased around the 2nd century BC, that is, after the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great .

In addition, based on materials from cuneiform tablets, linguists were even able to identify periods of development of the Sumerian language: archaic (3200 - 2750 BC); Old Sumerian (2750 - 2136 BC); Neo-Sumerian (2136 - 1196 BC); Late Sumerian (1996 - 1736 BC); post-Sumerian, that is, the period when the language developed only in written form, without the practical use of oral speech by living native speakers (XVIII - II centuries BC). Moreover: in our time, significant efforts are being made to restore the phonetics, the sound of the Sumerian language, that is, to restore its oral form. True, it's quite difficult task, since Sumerian writing is polyphonic, that is, different characters have different pronunciations.

The main mysteries have not been solved

However, all these important achievements of scientists for science are still this moment faded into the background. When an ancient language has many monuments, when writing has been generally restored, which makes it possible to translate complex texts on a variety of topics, when even the phases and features of the development of a language have been established, the main question becomes about its origin. Since it is linguistic data that is fundamental in the study of the question of family ties of various ancient peoples, their relationships, habitats and territorial migrations. In such cases, archaeological data is usually either sorely lacking or completely absent.

Sumerian language in ancient Western Asia, Sumerian is represented by the largest number of monuments of all non-Semitic languages. For this reason, it is also the most studied in that region, which, however, does not concern the grammar of the Sumerian language, which is still not solved or, rather, not completely deciphered.

Geographically, the Sumerian language was distributed in the Mesopotamian Euphrates and Tigris region, from a line passing near the modern Iraqi city of Baghdad, south all the way to the Persian Gulf. To what extent and when it was widespread as a living language north of this line is difficult to say.

The time of the appearance of the Sumerian language in Mesopotamia remains unclear. The alluvial, swampy lower reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris were uninhabited for a long time and the Sumerians certainly did not inhabit it from time immemorial. On the contrary, it is known for sure that the names settlements(toponymy) Sumer is not always of Sumerian origin, and in the Sumerian language itself there are a number of words that may not be of Sumerian, but not even Semitic origin. Therefore, it is likely that the Sumerians in the lower reaches of the Mesopotamian Tigris and Euphrates are alien people, although where they came from is an open question.

There is a theory that the Sumerians came from the East, from the mountains of Iran and from Central Asia. However, the evidence for this is not yet convincing enough. The Sumerians themselves associated their origin more likely with the southeast, with the islands and coast of the Persian Gulf.

The first Sumerian settlements (with “proper Sumerian” names) appeared at the beginning of the 4th millennium BC. e. in the extreme south of the country. Written monuments have been known in Sumer since the last quarter of the 4th millennium. Around 3000 BC e. the “rebus” use of written signs is attested, and from this it is clear that at that time the language was already Sumerian.

In fact, one can trace the very formation of writing, and there is no reason to assume that the writing was originally created for some other language and was only borrowed for Sumerian. Therefore, it is likely that in the Southern Mesopotamia they spoke Sumerian from the proto-literate period, and judging by the continuity of culture, probably much earlier, at least from the middle or beginning of the 4th millennium BC. e.

In the 3rd millennium BC. e. A different situation existed in the south of the country (south of Nippur - Shuruppak) and north of this center. South of Niipur and Shuruppak, Semitic proper names until the 24th-23rd centuries. practically never found, but to the north they were already common before, and in the future their number is increasing.

This northern part of the country was called in Sumerian Ki-Uri, and in Akkadian first Varum, and later, the capital of the state founded in the 24th century. BC V. Sargon the Ancient, Akkad. The central and then the southern part then began to be called Sumer; Previously, the general name for the entire Sumerian-speaking territory was simply Country - kalam.

The Sumerian people also did not have a self-name; the inhabitants were each called by their community - “man of Ur”, “man of Uruk”, “man of Lagash”; all residents of Mesopotamia, regardless of language, were called “ black-headed" - ; This is also what the Semitic-speaking inhabitants of Mesopotamia called themselves (acc. salmat kakkadim).

Gradually, moving from north to south, the Semitic Akkadian language displaces the archaic and, apparently, very different communal Sumerian dialects in living speech. Back in the 21st century, during the “Kingdom of Sumer and Akkad” (the so-called III Dynasty of Ur), the Sumerian language was the official language of offices throughout the state. But in everyday life, already at this time, the Akkadian language penetrated to the very south of the country.

The Sumerian language apparently survived in the swamps of the lower Tigris and Euphrates until the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e., but from about the 16th-15th centuries. and here they stop giving children Sumerian-language names. However, Sumerian continues to be preserved as the language of religion and partly science throughout the period of existence of the Akkadian language and cuneiform writing, and as such is studied outside Mesopotamia, in countries where cuneiform writing was widespread. The Sumerian language was finally forgotten only in the 2nd-1st centuries. BC.

It is curious that although the Sumerian language was supplanted by the Semitic Akkadian, there was no physical displacement of one people by another! The anthropological type did not change (a variant of the Mediterranean race, which coexisted with the Armenoid, or Assyroid, version of the Balkan-Caucasian race), and there were almost no significant changes in culture, except due to the development of social conditions.

Simply put, the later Babylonians are the same people as the Sumerians (of course, with some admixture of the surrounding Semitic population), but they changed their language.

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