Questions tagged [cuneiform]
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14
questions
6
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1answer
85 views
How do we know that Sumerian determinatives were not pronounced?
I've read the following in Edzard's "Sumerian Grammar" from 2003:
Determinatives: these are signs which precede or follow words or names in order to specify them as belonging to semantic groups. ...
1
vote
0answers
32 views
When does cuneiform numbering “carry over”?
In theory, cuneiform glyphs are numbered to distinguish homophones: if there are two common glyphs pronounced /u/, one will be named U₁ and the other will be named U₂. If a glyph has multiple readings,...
2
votes
0answers
28 views
How should the Sumerian ergative marker be read?
In Foxvog's Sumerian grammar, he assumes that the ergative marker -e was pronounced as -e, even after the possessives -(a)ni and -bi. For example, he transcribes "her king" in the ergative as lugal-(a)...
7
votes
0answers
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Was the “a” glyph ever used for ajV in Hittite?
As fdb mentioned in a comment:
The sequence a-a is a scribal convention for ajV [in Akkadian]. Some Assyriologists treat it as a single sign with the “Lautwert” aju, aji, aja
In Hittite, ...
4
votes
2answers
88 views
How were glottal stops indicated in Akkadian cuneiform?
According to Huehnergard, Akkadian had a phonemic glottal stop. This makes sense, given the language's heritage.
However, he doesn't seem to mention it anywhere in the chapters on orthography, and I ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
How to decode the Cuneiform ORACC data?
I just found this, the "OGSL Signlist" for Cuneiform. Remove the frame to get here. I click on a sign like A.EDIN and see this:
Values:eribₓ; eru₄; erua; erum₄; ummuₓ; ummudₓ.
for |A.EDIN| as ...
-1
votes
2answers
75 views
Can you build words by sound in Sumerian Cuneiform?
I am messing around with Sumerian from here. Can you build words out of components and map them to "letters" of some sort? Like, how can you build new words in Sumerian? Basically, "ka-la-nu", can I ...
4
votes
1answer
201 views
How are cuneiform glyphs numbered?
In Sumerian (and thus Akkadian, Hittite, etc) cuneiform, there are often several glyphs which have the same pronunciation (as far as we can tell). So the glyphs pronounced /u/ will be transliterated ...
4
votes
0answers
57 views
How can I find the word “behind” a cuneiform logogram?
Suppose I'm looking at a clay tablet, when come across an unfamiliar sign.
Looking up that second glyph in a sign list, I see that it's called GAR; putting that into the ePSD, I'm told it can be read ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How to find translation for cuneiform script containing “man” and “heaven/god”
I have encountered some cuneiform on a concert tour poster:
Source: https://eventation.ru/assets/template/images/NIGHTWISH/nightwish-010101-logotip-na-foto.jpg
I was wondering what it could mean. ...
6
votes
2answers
138 views
Were long vowels distinguished in cuneiform?
Hittite cuneiform occasionally shows "plene" spellings, with extra vowel signs that might indicate vowel length, or show the height of back vowels, or distinguish homophones (like the French grave ...
3
votes
2answers
130 views
Are there non-binary or gender-neutral cuneiform determinatives?
There seems to be a decent amount of historical evidence for categories of people in ancient Mesopotamia who were considered neither male nor female. However, the standard cuneiform determinatives I'...
4
votes
0answers
88 views
How can I tell if a vowel is “empty”?
In Hittite cuneiform, every glyph with a phonetic meaning is either V (a vowel), CV (a consonant followed by a vowel), VC, or CVC. As a result, there's no way to represent three consonants in a row ...
4
votes
1answer
116 views
How do I know if a cuneiform character is a logogram or determinative?
When I'm looking at a Hittite text, occasionally I'll come across a glyph that has no phonetic meaning. This generally means one of two things: either it's a logogram, or it's a determinative. Either ...
