Reconsidering the paradigm of the Sumerian verbs r̂e₆ "to bring" and tum₂ "to escort"

What is it about?

The Sumerian verbs r̂e₆ "to bring" and tum₂ "to escort" are both written with the cuneiform sign DU which has the shape of a foot. For this reason it is difficult to distinguish both verbs; one could even think that we have to deal with one verb with a broader meaning ("to bring" and "to escort"). After a thorough look at the sources form pre-Sargonic to Ur-III times (c. 2300-2000 B.C.E.) it becomes clear that in the imperfective aspect the verb r̂e₆ "to bring" is always written with the completely different cuneiform sign TUM₃, while for the verb tum₂ "to escort" the cuneiform sign DU is used also in the imperfective aspect. Thus we are able to conclude that we have to deal with two entirely different verbs.

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Why is it important?

The verb r̂e₆ "to bring" is one of the most common Sumerian verbs and the correct understanding of its paradigm is helpful for understanding the texts in which it appears. I was able to show that we have to distinguish the verb r̂e₆ (perfective, written DU) / tum₃ (imperfective, written TUM₃) "to bring" and the verb tum₂ (perfective, written DU) / tum₂ (imperfective, written DU) "to escort".