Sumerian Language Review 7 - Adverbs and Numbers

Unit Review #7

Read the following sentences and determine whether they are ‘true’ or ‘false’.

Sumerian adverbs come in simple words and adverbial phrases.
Many Sumerian adverbs are created with the impersonal pronominal element /m/.
Sumerian adverbs are created using case-markers and strict grammatical rules.
Because Sumerian adverbs often use case markers, it can be difficult to distinguish adverbial phrases from nouns.
When reading compound numbers like 3(šár)@v 𒐥, it’s probably safe to put the largest multiplier first.
When counting aloud (1, 2, 3, etc.), use dili 𒀸 instead of aš 𒀸.
Some quantities of specific items have their own cuneiform signs.

Read the following sentences and choose the correct answer.

1. The Sumerian numerical system is:

a) sexadecimal

b) sexadenary

c) sexagesimal

2. Who created the 360degree circle and the 24-hour day?

a) Akkadians

b) Babylonians

c) Sumerians

3. Which of the following is most likely to be the correct reading of 1 sìla 𒋡?

a) áš sìla 𒀸𒋡

b) diš sìla 𒁹𒋡

c) sila áš 𒋡𒀸

d) sìla diš 𒋡𒁹

TRUE—Sumerian adverbs come in simple words and adverbial phrases.
FALSE—Many Sumerian adverbs are created with the impersonal pronominal element /m/.
- Correct Answer: the impersonal pronominal element is /b/, not /m/.
FALSE—Sumerian adverbs are created using case-markers and strict grammatical rules.
- Correct Answer: While Sumerian adverbs are often created with case markers, there are no precise rules for adverbial phrase construction.
TRUE—Because Sumerian adverbs often use case markers, it can be difficult to distinguish adverbial phrases from nouns.
TRUE—When reading compound numbers like 3(šár)@v 𒐥, it’s probably safe to put the largest multiplier first.
FALSE—When counting aloud (1, 2, 3, etc.), use dili 𒀸 instead of aš 𒀸.
- Correct Answer: When counting (1, 2, 3, etc.) use diš 𒁹 instead of aš 𒀸.
TRUE—Some quantities of specific items have their own cuneiform signs.

The Sumerian numerical system is b) sexadenary
Who created the 360degree circle and the 24-hour day? b) Babylonians
Which of the following is most likely to be the correct reading of 1 sìla 𒋡? d) sila áš 𒋡𒀸

If you got more than 4 wrong, you may want to go back and review lessons 22 – 23.

Conjugational Prefix /I/