Editing Sumerian language (section)

==== Copula verb ====
The [[copula verb]] /me/ "to be" is mostly used in an enclitic form. Its conjugation is as follows: 
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!singular
!plural
|-
!1st person
|𒈨𒂗 ''-me-en''
|𒈨𒂗𒉈𒂗 ''-me-en-de<sub>3</sub>-en''
|-
!2nd person
|𒈨𒂗 ''-me-en''
|𒈨𒂗𒍢𒂗 ''-me-en-ze<sub>2</sub>-en''
|-
!3rd person
|𒀀𒀭 ''-am<sub>3</sub>''
(Old Sumerian 𒀭 -''am<sub>6</sub>'')
|𒀭𒈨𒌍 ''-me-eš''
|}
In addition, the initial vowel of the form ''-am<sub>3</sub>'' is reduced to -/m/ after enclitics ending in a vowel: 𒂍𒈬𒌝 ''e<sub>2</sub>''-''g̃u<sub>10</sub>''-''u'''m''''' "it is my house". Like other final consonants, the ''-m'' may not be expressed in early spelling.<ref>Jagersma (2010: 685)</ref>

These enclitic forms are used instead of a simple sequence of finite prefix, root and personal suffix ''*i<sub>3</sub>-me-en'', ''*i-me'' etc. For more complex forms, the independent copula form is used: 𒉌𒈨𒀀 ''i<sub>3</sub>-me-a'' "that he is", 𒉡𒅇𒈨𒂗 ''nu-u<sub>3</sub>-me-en'' "I am not". Unlike the enclitic, it typically uses the normal stem 𒈨 -''me''- in the 3rd person singular (𒁀𒊏𒈨 ''ba-ra-me'' "should not be"), except for the form prefixed with ''ḫa-'', which is 𒃶𒅎 ''ḫe<sub>2</sub>-em'' or 𒃶𒀀𒀭 ''ḫe<sub>2</sub>-am<sub>3</sub>''.<ref name=":22">Jagersma (2010: 677-678)</ref>

For a negative equivalent of the copula in the 3rd person, it seems that the word 𒉡 ''nu'' "not" alone instead of ''*nu-um'' is used predicatively (e.g. 𒍏𒉡 ''urud nu'' "it is not copper"<ref>Jagersma (2010: 717-718)</ref>) although the form 𒉡(𒌦)𒂵𒀀𒀭 ''nu-(un)-ga-am<sub>3</sub>'' "it is also not ..." is attested.<ref name=":22" /> A different word is used to express existence or being present/located somewhere: ''𒅅 g̃al<sub>2</sub>''.<ref>Zólyomi (2017: 112)</ref>

A peculiar feature of the copula is that it seems to form a relative clause without the nominalizing suffix /-a/ and thus uses the finite form: thus, instead of 𒉌𒈨𒀀 ''i<sub>3</sub>-me-a'', simply 𒀀𒀭 -''am<sub>3</sub>'' is used: 𒆬𒃻𒂵𒊏𒉌𒅎𒈠𒀭𒋧 ''kug nig̃<sub>2</sub>-gur<sub>11</sub>-ra-ni-i'''m''' ma-an-šum<sub>2</sub>'' "he gave me silver (which) '''was''' his property", which appears to say "The silver was his property, he gave it to me". In the negative, the full form 𒉡𒈨𒀀 ''nu-me-a'' "which is not" is used, and likewise in non-relative functions.<ref>Jagersma (2010: 706-710)</ref>