Before the Old Akkadian period, coordination is only rarely expressed by a conjunction. Most conjoined noun phrases are simply juxtaposed. Thus, a noun phrase consisting of two or more juxtaposed noun phrases can not only be an instance of apposition (see the previous section) but may also involve a case of coordination. E.g.:
(52) nu-siki nu-ma-kuš nu.siki nu.ma.kuš=Ø orphan widow =ABS
‘orphan and widow’ (Ukg. 4 12:23; L 24)
At least in their written forms, appositive and coordinate noun phrases are therefore very similar. (In the spoken language, they may have had different intonation patterns, but that is impossible to determine from the textual evidence.) Their similarity hardly ever poses prob-lems for interpretation, though, because they express completely different semantic relation-ships. While appositive noun phrases always refer to the same person or thing, coordinate noun phrases always refer to different persons or things.
Coordinate noun phrases are in the same case, but the case marker is, as a rule, only placed once, after the last word of the entire noun phrase. E.g.:
(53) bara2d
en-líl-lá / bara2dutu-ka
bara2.g en.líl=ak bara2.g utu=ak =÷a dais Enlil =GEN dais Utu=GEN=LOC
‘on Enlil’s dais and Utu’s dais’ (Ukg. 16 1:12-13; L; 24) (54) še-ba še-ĝar zíz-ĝar-šè
še.ba še.ĝar zíz.ĝar =še distribution.barley supply.barley supply.emmer=TERM
‘as ration barley, supply barley, and supply emmer’ (RTC 66 8:5; L; 24) (55) an ki-a
an ki =÷a heaven earth=LOC
‘in heaven and on earth’ (e.g., Cyl A 1: 1; L; 22) (56) nam-urdu2 nam-geme2-a
nam.urdu2.d nam.geme2 =÷a status.of.male.slave status.of.female.slave=LOC
‘upon the status of slaves’ (NG 30 14; U; 21)
However, if the number of conjoined noun phrases is very large, the case marker is placed after every noun phrase and thus repeated several times. One example contains eighteen conjoined noun phrases, each with its own ergative case marker:
(57) an-e / den-líl-e / (...) / diĝir-ĝu10d
nin-ĝiš-zi-da-ke4
an =e en.líl=e diĝir=ĝu nin.ĝiš.zi.da.k=e An=ERG Enlil =ERG god =my Ningishzida =ERG
‘An, Enlil, (fifteen other gods), and my personal god Ningishzida’ (St B 8:44-9:4; L; 22) A noun phrase consisting of two or more conjoined noun phrases can perform the same syntactic functions as a simple noun. With the appropriate case marker, such a phrase can be a part of a clause or of a larger noun phrase:
(58) še-numun zíz-numun-am6
še.numun zíz.numun =Ø =÷am seed.barley seed.emmer=ABS=be:3N.S
‘It is seed barley and seed emmer.’ (TSA 39 1:3; L; 24) (59) gurum2 gu4 ĝiš anše ĝiš-ka
gurum2 gu4.ř ĝiš =ak anše ĝiš =ak =ak =Ø inventory bull wood=GEN donkey wood=GEN=GEN=ABS
‘the inventory of draught oxen and draught donkeys’ (Genava 26 MAH 16248 3:4; L; 24) It can even be the head of a larger noun phrase:
(60) še-ba zíz-ba níĝ-sa-h~~~~a-ba ezem dba-ú-ka
še.ba zíz.ba níĝ.sa.h~~~~a.ba ezem ba.ú=ak =ak barley.ration emmer.ration fruit.ration festival Bau =GEN=GEN
‘the barley rations, emmer rations, and fruit rations of Bau's Festival’ (RTC 61 12:8-13:1;
L; 24)
(61) še-ba zíz-ba lú-IGI.LAGAB RU-lugal-ke4-ne / ezem dba-ú-ka še.ba zíz.ba lú.IGI.LAGAB RU.lugal.k=enē=ak barley.ration emmer.ration notable subordinate=PL =GEN
ezem ba.ú=ak =ak festival Bau =GEN=GEN
‘barley and emmer rations of the notables and the subordinates, of Bau's festival’ (BIN 8:347 11:3-4; L; 24)
Not all conjoined noun phrases are simply juxtaposed. Sometimes, an explicit conjunction is used. The most common Old Sumerian conjunction is {be} ‘and’, which is in form and spelling completely identical with the non-human possessive pronoun {be} ‘its’ (§8.3.3). It is only used with two conjoined noun phrases and, being a phrase-final clitic, it is attached to the last word of the second noun phrase. E.g.:
(62) dnin-ĝír-su / dšara2-bé nin.ĝír.su.k šara2 =be =r(a) Ningirsu Shara=and=DAT
‘for Ningirsu and Shara’ (Ent. 28 1:5-6; L; 25) (63) idigna / buranun-bé
idigna buranun =be Tigris Euphrates=and
‘the Tigris and the Euphrates’ (FAOS 5/2 Luzag. 1 2:6-7; N; 24) (64) PN1 / dub-sar-mah~~~~ / PN2 / lú éš gíd-bé / inim bí-ĝar-éš
PN1 dub.sar.mah~~~~ PN2 lú.éš. gíd=be =e inim =Ø Ø -bi -n -ĝar -eš PN1 chief.scribe PN2 surveyor =and=ERG word=ABSVP-3N:on-3SG.A-place-3PL
‘PN1, the chief scribe, and PN2, the surveyor, claim this (land).’ (MVN 6:319 rev 1:3-7;
L; 21)
This {be} ‘and’ mostly joins proper nouns, but can also be used with common nouns:
(65) gú-mun / šúm-GUD-bé gú.mun šúm.GUD =be =Ø cumin kind.of.onion=and=ABS
‘the cumin and ... onions’ (VS 14:52 4:4-5; L; 24) (66) še kù maš-ba
še kù.g maš=be =ak barley silver goat=and=GEN
‘the barley (equivalent) of the silver and the goat’ (Nik 1:102 2:6; L; 24) (67) tur mah~~~~-ba
tur mah~~~~ =be =ak smallness greatness=and=GEN
‘of various sizes (lit. “of smallness and greatness”)’ (VS 14:86 5:1; L; 24) (68) kíĝ ú sah~~~~ar-ba
kíĝ ú sah~~~~ar=be =ak work grass sand =and=GEN
‘grass and sand work (lit. “work of grass and sand”)’ (TENS 28 1; U; 21)
The two types of coordination, by simple juxtaposition or with the conjunction {be}, are not equivalent to each other. There are no examples of conjoined noun phrases which are juxtaposed in one text and joined with {be} in another. Still, it is not easy to give rules. It would seem that {be} joins noun phrases which are conceptually more distinct. (Note that {be}
mostly joins proper nouns.) Thus, a phrase X Y-bé seems to come close to ‘both X and Y’ or even ‘on the one hand X and on the other hand Y’. E.g.:
(69) u4-ba PN1 / ensi2 / lagaski / PN2 / ensi2 / unugki-bé / nam-ses e-ak u4.d=be =÷a PN1 ensi2.k lagas =ak PN2 ensi2.k unug=ak =be =e day=this=LOC PN1 ruler Lagash=GEN PN2 ruler Uruk=GEN=and=ERG
nam.ses =Ø ÷i -b -÷ak -Ø brotherhood=ABSVP-3N.A-make-3N.S/DO
‘Then PN1, the ruler of Lagash, and PN2, the ruler of Uruk, became brothers (lit. “made brotherhood”).’ (Ent. 45 2:4-10; L; 25)
The conjunction {be} ‘and’ is sometimes reinforced with the comitative case marker {da}.
E.g.:
(70) še (...) / ašag en-né-gù-ba-dé / ašag ù-gig-bé-da-šè še ašag en.né.gù.ba.dé ašag ù.gig=be =da =ak =še barley field Ennegubade field Ugig=and=COM=GEN=TERM
‘as ... barley of the field Ennegubade and the field Ugig’ (Nik 1:74 3:1-3; L; 24) (71) maš da ri-a / ki-a-naĝ / en-èn-tar-zi / du-du / saĝĝa-bé-da-kam
maš da ri.a ki.a.naĝ en.èn.tar.zi ceremonial.gift offering.chapel Enentarzi du.du saĝĝa =be =da =ak =Ø =÷am Dudu administrator=and=COM=GEN=ABS=be:3N.S
‘These are ceremonial gifts for the mortuary chapels of Enentarzi and Dudu, the adminis-trator.’ (Nik 1:195 1:4-2:3; L; 24)
(72) PN1 / PN2-be6-da / ì-ne-šúm
PN1 PN2=be =da =r(a) ÷i -nnē -n -šúm-Ø PN1 PN2 =and=COM=DATVP-3PL.IO-3SG.A-give-3N.S/DO
‘He gave this to PN1 and PN2.’ (OSP 2:60 8-11; N; 23) (73) íd idigna íd buranun-bé-da
íd idigna íd buranun =be =da river Tigris river Euphrates=and=COM
‘the river Tigris and the river Euphrates’ (Cyl B 17:10; L; 22)
Sometimes a second noun phrase is coordinated with a preceding noun phrase by putting it in the ablative case. Often the second phrase shows a possessive pronoun which is coreferen-tial with the preceding phrase, but such a pronoun is not obligatory. E.g.:
(74) du-du / saĝĝa / dam dumu-né-ta / (...) / ì-gu7-ne
du.du saĝĝa dam dumu=ane=ta =e ÷i -b -gu7-enē Dudu administrator wife child =his =ABL=ERGVP-3N.DO-eat -3PL.A:IPFV
‘Dudu, the administrator, together with his wife and children will eat this.’ (DP 224 6:5-9;
L; 24)
(75) 20 lá 1 u8 sila4-bé-ta
20 lá 1 u8 sila4 =be=ta 20 minus 1 ewe lamb=its=ABL
‘19 ewes, including their lambs’ (DP 98 4:6; L; 24) (76) 10 lá 1 ud5 maš-bé-ta
10 lá 1 ud5 maš=be=ta 10 minus 1 goat kid =its=ABL
‘9 goats and kids’ (DP 98 5:1; L; 24) (77) 24 gu4 áb-ta
24 gu4.ř áb =ta 24 bull cow=ABL
‘24 bulls and cows’ (Nik 1:177 1:2; L; 24) (78) udu-bé máš-bé-ta / ga-ab-da-bé-nam
udu =be máš=be =ta ga -b -tab -en =÷am sheep=this goat=this=ABLMOD:1SG.A/S-3N.DO-double-1SG.S/DO=be:3N.S
‘I will double those sheep and those goats!’ (YOS 4:3 9-10; U; 21)
In the Old Akkadian period, Sumerian acquires a new conjunction, namely the loanword ù
‘and’ (from Akkadian u ‘and’), which is used to coordinate clauses (§27.2) or noun phrases. If it coordinates a series of noun phrases, it is placed between the last two of the series. E.g.:
(79) šà-gal udu niga šáh~~~~ ù mušen-na
šà.gal udu niga šáh~~~~ ù mušen=ak fodder sheep barley.fed pig and bird =GEN
‘fodder of the barley-fed sheep, the pigs, and the birds’ (MVN 15:64 4:2; D; 21) (80) h~~~~a-ar-šiki ki-maški h~~~~u-ur5-tiki ù ma-da-bé
h~~~~a.ar.ši ki.maš h~~~~u.ur5.ti ù ma.da =be Harshi Kimash Hurti and countryside=its
‘Harshi, Kimash, Hurti, and their countryside’ (MVN 11:112 8; L; 21) (81) é dnin-ĝiš-zi-da / ù é dĝeštin-an-na-ka
é nin.ĝiš.zi.da.k ù é ĝestin.an.na.k=ak house Ningishzide and house Geshtinanna =GEN
‘the temple of Ningishzida and the temple of Geshtinanna’ (St M caption 4-5; L; 22)
From the late Old Akkadian period onwards, using the conjunction ù ‘and’ is the most popular method for conjoining noun phrases. It is not only used to coordinate noun phrases which were earlier simply juxtaposed but can also replace the clitic {be} ‘and’. Compare:
(82a) gana2 šuku apin-lá gana2 šuku.ř apin.lá=ak land prebend rent =GEN
‘prebendal and rented land (lit. “land of prebend and rent”)’ (STH 1:40 4:9; L; 24) (b) gana2 šuku ù apin-[lá]
gana2 šuku.ř ù apin.lá=ak