Sumerian language

E194331

The Sumerian language is an ancient language isolate of Mesopotamia, known primarily from cuneiform inscriptions and regarded as one of the earliest written languages in human history.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Sumerian 28
Sumerian language canonical 11

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (54)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient language
language
language isolate
borrowedBy Akkadian language
ceasedAsSpokenLanguage early 2nd millennium BCE
earliestAttestedIn late 4th millennium BCE
earliestWritingType proto-cuneiform
hasFeature SOV basic word order
agglutinative morphology
animate–inanimate distinction
complex verbal morphology
ergative alignment
extensive use of suffixes
no grammatical gender
noun incorporation
influenced Akkadian language
linked to: Akkadian
ISO639-2 sux
ISO639-3 sux
knownFrom cuneiform inscriptions
economic texts
grammatical texts
legal documents
lexical lists
literary compositions
royal inscriptions
languageFamily language isolate
nativeTo Mesopotamia
notRelatedTo Indo-European languages
Semitic languages
periodOfUse 3rd millennium BCE
4th millennium BCE
early 2nd millennium BCE
preservedIn Mesopotamian scribal schools
primaryCenters Lagash
Nippur
Sumer
Ur
Uruk
region southern Mesopotamia
linked to: Lower Mesopotamia
remainedInUseAs classical written language
liturgical language
scholarly language
scriptOrigin pictographic signs
scriptType logophonetic script
studiedBy Assyriology
usedAs administrative language
literary language
religious language
scholarly language
usedIn Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumerian versions)
linked to: Epic of Gilgamesh

Sumerian King List
writingDirection left-to-right horizontal rows
writingMaterial clay tablets
writingSystem cuneiform

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (39)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Akkadian influencedBy Sumerian language
Sumer language Sumerian language
Nippur languageEvidence Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ur languageUsed Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Hittite archives language Sumerian language
Kuyunjik languageOfInscriptions Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ashurbanipal languageOfTexts Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Early Dynastic period mainLanguage Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ur III period languageUsed Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Nuska languageOfName Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Niffer languageOfAncientInscriptions Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Umma languageUsed Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Sumerian religion languageOfRitual Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Gilgamesh languageOfSources Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ur-Nammu languageOfLawCode Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Gudea language Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ur III dynasty languageUsed Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Eannatum language Sumerian language
Inanna's Descent to the Underworld language Sumerian language
Larsa hasLanguage Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Der hasLanguage Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Ki languageOfName Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Antu languageAttestedIn Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Namtar languageOfName Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Anunnaki languageOfAttestation Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Sud languageOfSources Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Sud hasNameOrigin Sumerian language
Enlil and Ninlil language Sumerian language
Enkidu languageOfSources Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Assyriology studies Sumerian language
Warka languageUsedHistorically Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Mesopotamian cuneiform usedForLanguage Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Akkadian Empire language Sumerian language
Amar-Sin language Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Shulgi of Ur language Sumerian language
Aya languageAttestedIn Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language
Museum of the Ancient Near East hasLanguageOfInscriptions Sumerian
linked to: Sumerian language