Ok, LJ Brain trust...

[edwarddain]

I have a hankering to finally get off my ass and study myself some Akkadian.

I've certainly spent some time figuring out what other people have said are good texts for this - but I'm wondering what the LJ Brain Trust says (if anything).

I want to learn both language structure and cunieform.

Comments

[marduk_lok]

heh.
Good luck with that. ;-)

I do have several books on the topic - most of which I devoured early on in my studies, but since have been distracted by that bitch called Life.

The difficult will ramp either way depending on what you want to do with it. Is your desired end-result to be able to translate FROM Akkadian into English? If so, there is a glimmer of hope for you. Translating INTO cuneiform is far far harder - and is sadly the path I've chosen. There are no real sites that are useful, and you learn by reverse-engineering. One day we'll have to meet up somewhere and I can loan you some books. :-D

[marduk_lok]

ahem... the "difficulty" will ramp. That'll teach me for not proof-reading. ;-)

[edwarddain]

Blame it on SPLF...

I was afraid of that.

[edwarddain]

Well, yes, while I'm interested in both, I'm more interested in the translating *into*...

*sigh*

Nothing is ever easy.

[marduk_lok]

Ah... it also depends on which era you are interested in. True AKKADIAN Akkadian (it was only used for under 60 years). Sumerian-Renaissance Akkadian? Assyrian Akkadian? Babylonian Akkadian?

[edwarddain]

That is something that I have to admit that I'm still struggling with - I'm open to debate to a certain degree.

Part of this study is for esoteric reasons, and as a result the exact era studied is both important and at the same time somewhat irrelevant for my purposes.

[marduk_lok]

I'm sure my conjugation on that tattoo on littlebella1980's back is horrific - and probably blends dialects spanning over 2 millennia.

Fortunately there aren't very many people around who can tell me I'm wrong.

In any case, symbolism is symbolism. ;-)

*cough*

[edwarddain]

Our interests seem to coincide to at least a certain degree...

;-)