To some degree one may consider apparent variations in inflected verbal endings as evi-
dence for pronunciation differences (G74, G120, G126, G256 and G257). The addition of
anaptyctic vowels may also be included among this evidence, but may alternatively mark
subjunction (e.g. G221).
More important for a discussion of the differences in pronunciation or dialect that under-
lie the sources are regular shifts in phones or phonemes that are attested in large propor-
tions in the sources for Gilgamesh XI. Indeed, particular differences are significantly
more numerous in the sources for Gilgamesh XI than in the other texts examined in this
study. For example, the shift of the phoneme /i/ towards /e/ seems to be prevalent under
several morphological conditions: in primae aleph roots (G64, G161 and G289); affecting
the stem vowel of certain roots (G77 and G127); before guttural consonants (G115) and
in ultimate vowels, such as genitive singular or oblique plural case vowels (G177 and
G230).
Also significant for the discussion of dialectal differences is the attestation of the so-
called Assyrian vowel shift /i/ > /a/ (e.g. G94 and G154). We also see /i/ > /a/ in some
final weak forms (G97 and G178). Another Assyrian dialect form, namely the feminine
marker ‘-at’ > ‘-et,’ is also attested (G229). Perhaps related to Assyrian dialectal influ-
ence is evidence concerning the 1cs verbal preformative. In particular, the shift /a/ > /i/ is
attested (G207), as is /i/ > /e/ in primae aleph ‘i’ themed roots (G220 and G300).