Akkadian was the written language of the Akkadians. But it was not only the Akkadians that used the cuneiform style of writing, it was also used by the Sumerians. Sumerian is very totally different from Akkadian. Akkadian, for one thing was more successful then Sumerian (it died out). Eventually, though, Akkadian would be changed into the more commonly known Babylonian and Assyrian.
Akkadian is a inflectional language, meaning it has several roots that when combined with other sounds form meanings. One root can be combined with many different things to create several words of different meaning. For example, the three letter root "ktb" gives the idea of writing, but does not mean anything on its own. But inflections of this root create words like "kitāb" which means book.
Akkadian is written using phonograms. Symbols representing different phonetic values. These symbols are shown in the chart (from Ancient Scripts). But, because Akkadian has homophonous sounds, the symbols shown in the chart are not the only symbols that could be used to represent the sounds they represent. Akkadian is a very complex writing system, and is not to be sniffed at. There are about 200-400 symbols used, but there were actually 700-800 symbols. Scribes of the time wrote on wet clay using a stylus (sharpened stick), and they had many ways to write one word! Akkadian was one of the most successful scripts, and from it we can learn the history, customs, writing, and science of of the Middle East.
Akkadian is a inflectional language, meaning it has several roots that when combined with other sounds form meanings. One root can be combined with many different things to create several words of different meaning. For example, the three letter root "ktb" gives the idea of writing, but does not mean anything on its own. But inflections of this root create words like "kitāb" which means book.
Akkadian is written using phonograms. Symbols representing different phonetic values. These symbols are shown in the chart (from Ancient Scripts). But, because Akkadian has homophonous sounds, the symbols shown in the chart are not the only symbols that could be used to represent the sounds they represent. Akkadian is a very complex writing system, and is not to be sniffed at. There are about 200-400 symbols used, but there were actually 700-800 symbols. Scribes of the time wrote on wet clay using a stylus (sharpened stick), and they had many ways to write one word! Akkadian was one of the most successful scripts, and from it we can learn the history, customs, writing, and science of of the Middle East.
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