The Sumerian Problem
by
Thorkild Jacobsen
In a recent article in this Journal (JAOS 63. 1-9) Professor A. Goetze has discussed the problem of the language of the Sumerians and has come to the conclusion that it is not an Indo-European language. This conclusion is based on the fact that the Sumerian language does not show any of the characteristic features of the Indo-European languages, such as inflection, gender, or case endings. Furthermore, the Sumerian language is agglutinative, which is a feature that is not found in any of the Indo-European languages.
Professor Goetze's argument is based on the assumption that the Sumerian language is a single, homogeneous language. However, there is evidence to suggest that the Sumerian language was actually a group of related dialects. This would explain why some Sumerian texts show features that are not found in other Sumerian texts.
In addition, Professor Goetze's argument is based on the assumption that the Sumerian language was spoken by a single, homogeneous people. However, there is evidence to suggest that the Sumerians were actually a group of related peoples. This would explain why some Sumerian texts show features that are not found in other Sumerian texts.
Finally, Professor Goetze's argument is based on the assumption that the Sumerian language was spoken in a single, homogeneous area. However, there is evidence to suggest that the Sumerian language was spoken in a number of different areas. This would explain why some Sumerian texts show features that are not found in other Sumerian texts.