G46 C i 2’ šar-ru-˹ú˺ OV – C has CVC-CV against CV-CV in c.^531
c 1 i 11’ [š]a-ru-u
G47 C i 3’ j ii 6a lap-nu lap-ni OV(l) – j has the wrong case vowel for the nominative singular. (^532)
(^) G48 C i 4’ (^) u
W^4 -mi OV(l) – The case vowel in W is written as /e/ against the expected /i/ in C.^533
1 ii 1 ˹ u^4 -me˺^
G49 C ii 2 10 NINDA.ÀM OV – W and j write √nindanu, “measuring
W j ii 8 1 ii 3 10 NINDA.TA.ÀM 10 NINDA.TA.ÀM rod of 12 cubits,” with the full composite logogram.
G50 T W 2 i 31’ 6-šú OV – Different spelling of the 3ms pronomi-nal suffix.
1 ii 5a 6-šu
G51 J 1 ii 8’ l]u OV – The long vowel in the asseverative par-
W T^2 i 34’ ˹lu˺^ ticle lū, “indeed,” is written in W.
1 ii 7 lu-ú
G52 J T 1 ii 8’ am-˹ḫaṣ˺ SV(1) – The pronominal suffix is lacking in J. (^534)
2 i 34’ am-ḫas-si
(^531) A.R. George, Gilgamesh, 350 and 438, could read this as a Neo-Assyrian spelling (CVC) in C against a
Standard Babylonian spelling (CV-CV) in c. However, A.R. George, Gilgamesh, 881-82 raises the possibil-
ity that this can be read as a theorised parras type adjective, šarrû, “rich.” In this case C has the correct
orthography while c is defective. 532
This could be read as a difference in number, where j has an oblique plural against the nominative singu-
lar in C, but a plural in this context is unlikely. It is possible that j (a text from Babylonia) has what A.R.
George, Gilgamesh, 439 refers to as an unusual Kuyunjik spelling of /i/ or /e/ for nominative or accusative
singular, even though the text from Kuyunjik (C) has the correct vowel /u/ for the nominative singular. 533
See the same phenomena in M119, M145 and M234; P13. The spelling difference is perhaps cosmetic,
but the clear delineation between /i/ and /e/ in the writing of the specific signs ME (∨) and MI (∪) indi-
cates that this could be the result of an underlying difference in pronunciation. Other shifts of /i/ > /e/ in
analogous Assyrian forms could be invoked to suggest this is a dialectal variation: /i/ > /e/ in primae aleph
roots; /e/ for genitive singular and oblique plural case vowels; contraction of diphthong ay > /e/ in Assyr-
ian against *ay > /i/ in Standard Babylonian – cf. J. Huehnergard, Grammar, 601-3; see also G64 and G300
below, and the comments in note. However, in relation to this specific noun, the form in W is “a common
spelling in Babylonia and hardly diagnostic of Assyrian morphology” (A.R. George, Gilgamesh, 436).