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Book 9789047403401 B9789047403401-S011-Preview
Book 9789047403401 B9789047403401-S011-Preview
NUMERALS
10.1. GENERAL
1: for deli (di-li, de-e-li, du-li), as and dis so far only an approXI-
mate distribution pattern can be offered:
deli is "single, unique" (wedum); cf. lu-sag-deli, glossed sagdilu "(per-
son, single head =) bachelor". Reduplicated deli: dedli indicates
detailed plurality (see 5.3.4). AS-ni "he/she all alone" is read deli-
ni or as(a)-ni by individual authors. The OS PN [ASani "he alone"]
is spelled A-sa4(DU)-ni (DP 125 iv 6), or ASx(GE 23)-s~-ni (DP 124
iv 2; 126 iv 3).
SeeJ. Bauer, RA 64 (1970) 188, partly corrected by J. N. Postgate,
AfO 24 (1973) 77.
However, deli-du-ni "he is coming alone" might also be proposed.
AS(deli)-digir-re-ne "the only one of the gods" VS 10, 199 iii 4 (c£
Falkenstein 1959, 66). A similar uncertainty is found with the epi-
thet of the Moongod, dAS-im 4/im-bar6-bar6 /babbar (discussed by
M. Krebemik, RIA 8, 362 £ § 2.3; there is no var. "as").
It is difficult to differentiate as from deli. If 6 really were 5+ 1,
Ebla A-su might be explained as *[ia+aSJ. This is, however, quite
uncertain.
dis may have been the regular counting word ("one, two, three"),
not bound to either person or non-person class. bandis "1 seah" (fol-