The formation of the "Verb" category: from Pre-Semitic to Semitic

The present work aims at describing the formation of the Semitic verb, with close reference to the Akkadian period. Thus, I will provide a detailed analysis of the basic conjugation of the Old Babylonian dialect. During the discourse, it will emerge that the basic conjugational forms (i.e., the perfective iprVs and the stative parVs) come from pre-Semitic nominal and adjectival elements that have gradually entered into a fully-fledged verbal system. More specifically, it will be argued that the Akkadian iprVs develops from a nominal nucleus to which personal pronouns are attached (later, it will be used for the conjugation of the fientive verbs), whereas parVs is said to be originally engaged as the predicative form of adjectives (later, it will be used for the conjugation of the state verbs). The specific formal modifications, like the coalescence of the nominal and pronominal elements into one and semantic redefinitions underlying the verbalization process will be shown in detail.