# Tabannusi in cuneiform script Tags: written-language, cuneiform, akkadian - Score: 3 - Views: 374 - Answers: 2 - Answered: yes - Asked by: Marek Lothrain (47 rep) - Asked: 2020-12-11 - Edited: 2020-12-11 - Site: linguistics ## Question I'd like to know how to correctly write a word "tabannusi" (build) in sumerian alphabet. Is there a chance then anyone can help me? ## Answers ### Answer by Ilmari Karonen (score: 11) As noted by Draconis, this is not a Sumerian but an Akkadian word, specifically a form of the verb banû, "to build". Specifically, I would analyze it as the G-durative (for the D-stem, the 2nd person prefix should be tu- instead of ta-) with a subjunctive marker -u- and an enclitic second person feminine object pronoun -ši,1 i.e. as tabanni+u+ši → tabannûši = "you (male2) will build (or are building) her/it (referring to a female person or to a grammatically female noun)". And, since the û is overlong (arising from a contracted diphtong) I would diverge slightly from Draconis's suggestion and spell it plene, i.e. as ta-ba-an-nu-ú-ši = 𒋫𒁀𒀭𒉡𒌑𒅆.3 In fact, I googled for the word and found that it occurs with that exact spelling in the Tale of Atra-ḫasīs, tab