Editing Sumerian language (section)

==== Adjectives ====
It is controversial whether Sumerian has adjectives at all, since nearly all stems with adjectival meaning are also attested as verb stems and may be conjugated as verbs: 𒈤 ''maḫ'' "great" > 𒎏𒀠𒈤 ''nin al-maḫ'' "the lady is great".<ref>Zólyomi (2017: 92)</ref><ref>Jagersma (2010: 268-269)</ref> Jagersma believes that there is a distinction in that the few true adjectives cannot be negated, and a few stems are different depending on the part of speech: 𒃲 ''gal'' "big", but 𒄖𒌌 ''gu-ul'' "be big".<ref>Jagersma (2010: 278)</ref> Furthermore, stems with adjective-like meaning sometimes occur with the nominalizing suffix /-a/, but their behaviour varies  in this respect. Some stems appear to require the suffix always: e.g. 𒆗𒂵 ''kalag-ga'' "mighty", 𒊷𒂵 ''sag<sub>9</sub>-ga'' "beautiful", 𒁍𒁕 ''gid<sub>2</sub>-da'' "long"<ref>Thomsen (2001: 64)</ref><ref>Jagersma (2010: 267)</ref> (these are verbs with adjectival meaning according to Jagersma<ref>Jagersma (2010: 269)</ref>). Some never take the suffix: e.g. 𒃲 ''gal'' "big", 𒌉 ''tur'' "small" and 𒈤 ''maḫ'' "great"<ref>Attinger (1993: 148)</ref> (these are genuine adjectives according to Jagersma<ref>(2010: 269)</ref>). Finally, some alternate: 𒍣 ''zid'' "right" often occurs as 𒍣𒁕 ''zid-da'' (these are pairs of adjectives and verbs derived from them, respectively, according to Jagersma<ref>Jagersma (2010: 279)</ref>). In the latter case, attempts have been made to find a difference of meaning between the forms with and without ''-a''; it has been suggested that the form with ''-a'' expresses a kind of determination,<ref>See Thomsen (2001: 64), Edzard (2003: 47) and references therein.</ref> e.g. ''zid'' "righteous, true" vs ''zid-da'' "right (not left)", or [[restrictiveness]], e.g. 𒂍𒉋 ''e<sub>2</sub> gibil'' "a new house" vs 𒂍𒉋𒆷 ''e<sub>2</sub> gibil-la'' "the new house (as contrasted with the old one)", "a/the newer (kind of) house" or "the newest house", as well as nominalization, e.g. ''tur-ra'' "a/the small one" or "a small thing".<ref>Jagersma (2010: 279-281)</ref> Other scholars have remained sceptical about the posited contrasts.<ref>Foxvog (2016: 24), Hayes (2000: 98), partly Thomsen (2001: 64).</ref>

A few adjectives, like 𒃲 ''gal'' "big" and 𒌉 ''tur'' "small" appear to "agree in number" with a preceding noun in the plural by reduplication; with some other adjectives, the meaning seems to be "each of them ADJ". The colour term 𒌓(𒌓) ''bar<sub>6</sub>''-''bar<sub>6</sub>'' / ''babbar'' "white" appears to have always been reduplicated, and the same may be true of 𒈪 ''gig<sub>2</sub>'' (actually ''giggig'') "black".<ref name=":28">Jagersma (2010: 270-272)</ref>

To express the comparative or superlative degree, various constructions with the word 𒋛𒀀 ''dirig'' "exceed"/"excess" are used: X + locative + ''dirig-ga'' "which exceeds (all) X", ''dirig'' + X + genitive + terminative "exceeding X", lit. "to the excess of X".<ref>Jagersma (2010: 284)</ref>