Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Alexei Kassian discuss the possible connection between Sumerian and Hurrian languages.

 Alexei Kassian discuss the possible connection between Sumerian and Hurrian languages. He compares the list of basic vocabulary and finds six possible cognates. Then calculates the probability of chance coincidence and deduce that it is quite low.

Finally he propose two scenarios.

In the first some Hurrians migrated to South and mixed with Sumerians and the second a group of Sumerian related people move to North and shifts to proto Hurro-Urartian. He prefers the first and links it with Kur-Araxes expansion to south but the latter is more probable from linguistic point of view. I must add that it can fit archaeology also given that Chaff faced ware pottery (4300-3600bc) was a southern influence from North Mesopotamia.

The next issue in this paper is that he believes in Sino-Caucasian theory, and wants to see HU as part of it. Which obviously is very problematic given that genetics do not support it's existence.

He cites Fournet but do not discuss in details other words that can be Sumerian - Hurrian cognates.


The word apple in Sumerian hašhur/ ha-šu-ur compare with hinzuri in Hurrian. Fournet demonstrated that Hurrians were adding [n] in the middle of word like in Puratu>Purantu (Euphrates) which means that the initial form of hinzuri was *hizur an obvious cognate of hashur.


Another interesting word is the en meaning god in Hurrian, inua goddess in Urartian. Compare the Sumerian Anu the sky god.


There are other fruit words like pomegranate and plume but they are believed to be via Akkadian intermediation.


He also discuss the famous and well accepted word tibira in Sumerian meaning sculptor, craftsman which is compared to Hurrian tabira meaning smith. This word is believed to be of Hurrian origin. Some (but not all) links the Armenian darbin (smith) with it. 


https://www.academia.edu/1950133/Lexical_isoglosses_between_Sumerian_and_Hurro_Urartian_possible_historical_scenarios_DRAFT

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