Chinese and Sumerian

12 INITIAL AND: FINA SOUNDS, ET ©

In some of these, R evidently occupies the place of an earlier D: thus the character = RU, to build, make, was also read DU in the same sense; and «V4 to butt, thrust with the horns, was read both DU and RU. Now this Sumerian initial R=D appears in Chinese as d: fig chu, chuk, G. 2677, from tuk (G. 10057), do-k (P. 929), to butt, is obviously identical with Sumerian DU (from DUG), to butt; and 34 tsao, ts‘ou, K. cho, A. tau, to build, make, create, from dzok, tok (P. 766), is as obviously akin to the Sumerian DU, to build, make, create. (It may be inferred from GAG, the other value of the sign 5<, which was also read DA, RA, in Semitic writing, that DU, RU, and the possibly more original DA, RA, have lost a final G, corresponding to the k of the old Chinese dzok, tok.) These two examples are clear and convincing. Others which, though less certain, are possible and even probable, are the following :— »— RU, in, ==]! DU, in; Fe yii, at, from tot (P. 392); =<] RA, to walk, go, also read DU (from DUG? of. By LNG to go), answering to 7X lai, K. re, J. rai, to come, from la-k, da-k (P. 409) ; ); >T¥J RI, DI, to shine (from DIG = DUG=GUG in UGUG, Br. 6097); cf Ch. yi, A. tik, blaze, bright light, G. 13183 ; also i, F. ik, sik (=tik), A. juk, bright, G. 5504; and i, yik, Amoy ik, OS. tik, kike(P. 254), bright, dawn, G. 5502, and also Sumerian UG (GUG), day, C. T. xii. 6, and perhaps MAR-DUG, Son of Dawn or Day (= chou, teu, OS. tok, daylight, G. 2475).

In some examples initial R interchanges with L (=D); ¢.g. in the instance quoted above, RA(G), to go=LAG; of. Ch. lu, K. J. ro, a road, from lo-k, la-k, P.272. The Sumerian LAG is also to drive off cattle or captives; to plunder = Ch. lo, J. ro, to take captive, to plunder, G. 7285, from lo-k, P. 917, and Ch. liieh, lok, liak, J. riaku, to capture people, to drive off cattle, G. 7564. In {> RAG, LAG, female, L is probably prior to R; ¢f. the character P|] SILLAG (written LAG.SI): see D. 328.

We saw that an initial G or its equivalent often interchanges dialectically or otherwise with a labial sound. In GI, DISH, one; GAR, DAR, fetter; GA, DA, milk; GIN, GIM, DIM, TUM, to walk; GIN, DIN, male; GAG(AG), DA, DU, to make; GIN, TUN, axe; GE, DE, shekel; GUG, GU, DUG, to speak; we see a transition from G to D, characteristic of the softer dialect. It is like a young child got’ or ‘dun’ for ‘gun’—a substitution of sounds with which

saying ‘dot’ for ‘ every one is familiar in our own language. This phenomenon reappears in Chinese, the sonants g, d, being represented, as usual, by the surds k, t; compare kun, ruler, G. 3269, P. chiin, with tien, dien, J. ten or den, to rule, G. 11180; k‘wang, gwong, mad, G. 6409, with tien, die, A. dien, mad, G. 11197. Instances abound: such are kan and tan, dawn; kien and t‘ien, heaven; kan, kom, and tien, t'ym, sweet; kiin, G. 3145, and t'sin, ch‘in, t’én, G. 2081, to love; kien, kin, a bolt or bar, and tien, tim, to bar a gate; besides a number of Phonetics like kit, tit, P. 9; kut, tut, P. 16; kam, tam, P. 62; tik, gik, P. 78; gip, sap (= tap), P. 97; gik, dik, P. 106; kim, tim, P. 110; gat, dat, P. 186; ngim, dim, P. 379; ngak, lak, shak, P. 978; and many