𒈨

𒈨 U+12228, 𒈨 CUNEIFORM SIGN ME ← 𒈧 [U+12227] Cuneiform 𒈩 → [U+12229]

𒈨	Sign Number
MZL	753
Deimel	532
HZL	357
Components
𒁹, 𒀸

• R. Borger, Mesopotamisches Zeichenlexikon (MZL), Münster (2003)
• A. Deimel, Šumerisches Lexikon (Deimel), Rome (1947)
• Chr. Rüster, E. Neu, Hethitisches Zeichenlexikon (HZL), Wiesbaden (1989)

Sign	𒈨
Sumerograms	IŠIB, ME, MEŠ₂
Phonetic values	me, mi₃, šib/šip

𒈨 • (me)

1. to be

   𒂷𒂊 𒀀𒈾𒈨𒂗 ― g̃e₂₆-e a-na-me-en /g̃e anamen/ ― What am I?

   𒈠𒈬𒁮 ― ma-mu-dam /mamudam/ ― It was a dream.

   𒂷𒂊 𒅇 𒍝𒂊 𒋀𒈨𒂗𒉈𒂗 ― g̃a₂-e u₃ za-e šeš-me-en-de₃-en /g̃e u ze šešmenden/ ― You and I are brothers.

• 𒈨 (me) is only used as a copula. To express the existential meaning of "to be somewhere", "to be there" the verb 𒅅 (g̃al₂ /⁠g̃al⁠/) is used instead.
• The copula is inflected like an intransitive verb in the perfective. Independent and enclitic forms are in complementary distribution: the enclitic form is used when the copula would otherwise only consist of a vocalic prefix, verbal stem and person suffix; the independent form is used in all other cases.
• The copula lacks the distinction of tense and aspect. Only the context can clarify whether the copula refers to past, present or future.
• In Old Sumerian, the final consonant of the person suffixes was not written (so both 𒈨𒂗 (me-en /⁠men⁠/) and 𒎌 (me-eš /⁠meš⁠/) were written 𒈨 (me)); the third person enclitic form was written 𒀭 (am₆ /⁠am⁠/).
• After clitics ending in a vowel, the third person enclitic form 𒀀𒀭 (am₃ /⁠am⁠/) was reduced to /m/ already in Old Sumerian. Like other syllable-final consonants, it was never written during that period and only occasionally from Old Akkadian on:

  𒂍𒈬 ― e₂-g̃u₁₀ /eg̃ûm/ ― it's my house

Conjugation of 𒈨 (me)
	independent	enclitic
1st singular	𒈨𒂗 men
2nd singular	𒈨𒂗 men
3rd singular	𒈨 me	𒀀𒀭 am
1st plural	𒈨𒂗𒉈𒂗 menden
2nd plural	𒈨𒂗𒍢𒂗 menzen
3rd plural	𒎌 meš

𒈨 • (me /mē/)

1. (enclitic) our (first-person plural possessive pronoun)

• The /e/ of 𒈨 (me) does not contract with the locative case marker:

  𒌷𒈨𒀀 ― iri-me-a /irimē'a/ ― in our city

• The /e/ of 𒈨 (me) contracts with the vowel of the genitive case marker, resulting in /ê/:

  𒂕𒁾𒈨𒅗 ― egir dub-me-ka /egir dubmêka/ ― on the reverse of our tablet

𒈨 • (išib)

1. purification priest, magician
2. spell

𒈨 • (išib)

1. to be pure, clear

Sumerian possessive pronouns
		singular	plural
1st singular		𒈬 g̃u	𒈨 mē
2nd singular		𒍪 zu	𒍪𒉈𒉈 zunēnē
3rd singular	hum.	𒀀𒉌 ane	𒀀𒉈𒉈 anēnē
	nhum.	𒁉 be

• Sumerian terms spelled with 𒈨

• “𒈨 (me)” in ePSD2
• “𒈨 (išib)” in ePSD2
• Jagersma, Bram (2010) A Descriptive Grammar of Sumerian‎^[1] (doctoral thesis), page 677