L8.1: Gt-stem#

These stem occurs rarely. Its meanings are:

Meaning#

  1. Reciprocal

    Example

    • mitgurum “to agree (with one another), come to an agreement”,

    • mithurum “to meet/face/confront/oppose one another, to correspond (tobe another), be of equal size,

    • mithuṣum “to fight, go to war” (i.e. to strike one another).

  2. Separative. This is attested in only a smal group of verbs of motion:

    Example

    • atkulum “to go away, move on, be off”,

    • -etlûm “to move off, away”,

    • i︎ṣṣûm “to depart”.

  3. Reflexive. This is rare, but it is attested:

    Example

    • piššušum “to anoint oneself”,

    • šitūlum “to ponder, deliberate, refelct.

  4. Other

    Example

    • itʾudum (*naʾādum) “to heed, watch carefully”,

    • tizkurum/tisqurum “to speak” (used like G-stem in literary texts).

Morphological Characteristics#

  1. The Gt-stem has an infixed -t- between R₁ and R₂. The prefixes of the Durative, Perfect and Preterite are those of the G-stem. The theme vowels also correspond to those of the G-stem Durative.

    Gt-Stem

    Durative

    iptarras

    Perfect

    iptatras

    Preterite

    iptaras

    Imperative

    pitras

    Participle

    muptarsum

    Verbal Adj.

    pitrusum

    Infinitive

    pitrusum

    Stative

    pitrus

    Note

    The Gt preterite is identical to the G Perfect. Thus when a suffix is added the vowel syncope occurs: iptarsam, iptarsū

  2. As expected the -t- is assimilated when R₁ is d, ṭ, s, ṣ, or z. The forms without prefixes the -t- undergo metathesis:

    ṣabātu

    Durative

    iṣṣabbat

    Perfect

    iṣṣatbat

    Preterite

    iṣṣabat

    Imperative

    tiṣbat

    Participle

    muṣṣabtum

    Verbal Adj.

    tiṣbutum

    Infinitive

    tiṣbutum

    Stative

    tiṣbut

  3. The assimilation also occurs when R₂ is d, ṭ, s, ṣ, z or even š

    Example

    hissas “consider” (Imperative ms) <*hitsas from hasāsum (a-u) piššušum “to anoint oneself” (infinitive <*pitšušum)

  4. After g, -t- becomes -d-:

    Example

    igderû “They sued one another” <*gerûm

I-n#

In forms wiht prefixes, the n is assimilated to the following infix. In the remaining forms, in which n should stand first, it omitted:

naqārum

Durative

ittaqar

Perfect

ittatqar

Preterite

ittaqar

Imperative

itqar

Participle

muttaqrum

Verbal Adj.

itqurum

Infinitive

itqurum

Stative

itqur

I-ʾ#

In the forms with the prefixes, the loss of al inmediately the -t- infix has resulted in the lengthening of the preceding vowel. The remaining forms begin with a (or e). The Gt of alākum ois irregular

ahāzum I-a

elûm I-e, III-weak

alākum

Durative

ītahhaz

ītelli

ittallak

Perfect

ītathaz

ītetli

ittatlak

Preterite

ītahaz

īteli

ittalak

Imperative

athaz

etli

atlak

Participle

mūtahzum

mūtelûm

–

Verbal Adj.

athuzum

etlûm

–

Infinitive

athuzum

etlûm

atlukum

Stative

athuz

etlu

–

I-w#

Apart from the Durative and Preterite of waṣûm, these verbs are poorly attested in the Gt. They resemble Gt form of the verbs I-n.

I-w

I-w, II-ṣ, III-weak

Durative

ittarrad

ittaṣṣi

Perfect

ittatrad

[ittaṣṣi]

Preterite

ittarad

ittaṣi

Imperative

tarad?

taṣi?

Participle

muttardum

muttaṣûm

Verbal Adj.

itrudum

iṣṣûm?

Infinitive

itrudum

iṣṣûm?

Stative

itrud

iṣṣu?

II-weak#

These verbs are not well attested:

kânum I-u(w)

niālum I-i(y)

šâlum II-a(ʾ)

Durative

[iktân?]/[iktunnū]

[ittīal]/ittillū

ištâl/ištallū

Perfect

[iktatūn]/[iktatūnū]

ittatīl/ittatīlū

ištatāl/ištatālū

Preterite

iktūn/iktūnū

ittīl/itīlū

ištāl/ištālū

Imperative

[kitūn]/[kitūnā]

itīl/itīlā

šitāl/šitālā

Participle

muktīnum

muttīlum

muštālum

Verbal Adj.

kitūnum

[itūlum]

šitūlum

Infinitive

kitūnum

itūlum/utūlum

šitūlum

Stative

kitūn

[itūl]

šitūl

III-weak#

These offer no difficulties, note the III-e forms

naqārum

Durative

ištemme

Perfect

ištetme

Preterite

išteme

Imperative

šitme

Participle

muštemûm

Verbal Adj.

šitmûm

Infinitive

šitmûm

Stative

šitmu