Hittite cuneiform

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The surviving corpus of Hittite texts is preserved in cuneiform script on clay tablets dating to the 2nd millennium BC (roughly spanning the 17th to 12th centuries). Hittite orthography was directly derived from Old Assyrian cuneiform.

The HZL of Rüster and Neu lists 375 cuneiform signs used in Hittite documents (11 of them only appearing in Hurrian and Hattic glosses), compared to some 600 signs in use in Old Assyrian. About half of the signs have syllabic values, the remaining are used ideographically only.

The syllabary distinguishes the following consonants (notably dropping the Akkadian s series),

b, p, d, t, g, k, ḫ, r, l, m, n, š, z,

combined with the vowels a, e, i, u. Additional ya (=I.A 𒄿𒀀), wa (=PI 𒉿) and wi (=wi5=GEŠTIN 𒃾 "wine") signs are introduced. The contrast of the Assyrian voiced/unvoiced series (k/g, p/b, t/d) is not used to express the voiced/unvoiced contrast in Hittite; they are used somewhat interchangeably in some words, while other words are spelled consistently. The contrast in these cases is not entirely clear, and several interpretations of the underlying phonology have been proposed. Similarly, the function of "plene writing" of vowels, that is, the insertion of additional an additional vowel sign between syllabograms, for example the -a- in iš-ḫa-a-aš "master" or in la-a-man "name", ú-i-da-a-ar "waters", is not entirely clear. In some cases, it may indicate an inherited long vowel (lāman, cognate to Latin nōmen; widār, cognate to Greek ὕδωρ hudōr), but it may also have other functions connected with word accent.

Cuneiform signs can be employed in three functions: syllabograms, Akkadograms or Sumerograms. Syllabograms have a direct phonological significance, while Akkadograms serve morphological functions directly taken from Akkadian orthography, but not intended to be pronounced as in Akkadian, while Sumerograms are mostly ideograms and determiners already inherited from Sumerian in Akkadian orthography. Conventionally,

  • syllabograms are transcribed in italic lowercase
  • Akkadograms in italic uppercase
  • Sumerograms in uppercase.

Thus, the sign GI 𒄀 can be used (and transcribed) in three ways, as the Hittite syllable gi (also ge); in the Akkadian spelling QÈ-RU-UB of the preposition "near" as QÈ, and as the Sumerian ideogram GI for "tube" also in superscript, GI, when used as a determiner.

Contents

[edit] Syllabary

[edit] CV

b- d- g- ḫ- k- l- m- n- p- r- š- t- w- y- z-
-a a 𒀀 ba 𒁀 da 𒁕 ga 𒂵 ḫa 𒄩 ka 𒅗 la 𒆷 ma 𒈠 na 𒈾 pa 𒉺 ra 𒊏 ša 𒊭 ta 𒋫 wa 𒉿 ya 𒄿𒀀 za 𒍝
-e e 𒂊 be 𒁁 de 𒁲 ge 𒄀 ḫe 𒄭, ḫé 𒃶 ke 𒆠 le 𒇷 me 𒈨, mé 𒈪 ne 𒉈, né 𒉌 pé 𒁉 re 𒊑 še 𒊺 te 𒋼 ze 𒍣, zé 𒍢
-i i 𒄿 bi 𒁉 di 𒁲 gi 𒄀 ḫi 𒄭 ki 𒆠 li 𒇷 mi 𒈪 ni 𒉌 pí 𒁉 ri 𒊑 ši 𒅆 ti 𒋾 wi5 𒃾 zi 𒍣
-u u 𒌋, ú 𒌑 bu 𒁍 du 𒁺 gu 𒄖 ḫu 𒄷 ku 𒆪 lu 𒇻 mu 𒈬 nu 𒉡 pu 𒁍 ru 𒊒 šu 𒋗, šú 𒋙 tu 𒌅 zu 𒍪

[edit] VC

-b -d -g -ḫ -k -l -m -n -p -r -š -t -z
a- a 𒀀 ab 𒀊 ad 𒀜 ag 𒀝 aḫ 𒀪 ak 𒀝 al 𒀠 am 𒄠 an 𒀭 ap 𒀊 ar 𒅈 aš 𒀸 at 𒀜 az 𒊍
e- e 𒂊 eb 𒅁 ed 𒀉 eg 𒅅 eḫ 𒀪 ek 𒅅 el 𒂖 em 𒅎 en 𒂗 ep 𒅁 er 𒅕 eš 𒌍, 𒐁 et 𒀉 ez 𒄑
i- i 𒄿 ib 𒅁 id 𒀉 ig 𒅅 iḫ 𒀪 ik 𒅅 il 𒅋 im 𒅎 in 𒅔 ip 𒅁 ir 𒅕 iš 𒅖 it 𒀉 iz 𒄑
u- u 𒌋, ú 𒌑 ub 𒌒 ud 𒌓 ug 𒊌 uḫ 𒀪 uk 𒊌 ul um 𒌝 un 𒌦 up 𒌒 ur 𒌨, úr 𒌫 uš 𒍑 ut 𒌓 uz 𒍖

[edit] CVC

  • Ḫ: ḫal 𒄬 ; ḫab/p 𒆸 ; ḫaš 𒋻; ḫad/t 𒉺 (=pa, PA "sceptre); ḫul (=ḪUL "evil"); ḫub/p 𒄽; ḫur 𒄯 (ḪUR="thick", MUR "lung")
  • K/G: gal 𒃲 (=GAL "great"); kal,gal9 𒆗; kam/gám 𒄰 (=TU7 "soup"); k/gán 𒃷 (=GÁN "field"); kab/p,gáb/p 𒆏 (=KAB "left"); kar (=KAR "find"); k/gàr 𒃼; k/gaš 𒁉 (=bi, KAŠ "beer"); k/gad/t 𒃰 (=GAD "linen"); gaz 𒄤 (=GAZ "kill"); kib/p ; k/gir 𒄫; kiš 𒆧 (=KIŠ "world"); kid/t9 𒃰 (=gad); kal 𒆗 (=KAL "strong"); kul 𒆰 (=KUL "offspring"); kúl,gul 𒄢 (=GUL "break"); k/gum 𒄣; kur 𒆳 (=KUR "land"); kùr/gur 𒄥
  • L: lal 𒇲 (=LAL "bind"); lam 𒇴; lig/k 𒌨 (=ur); liš 𒇺 (=LIŠ "spoon"); luḫ 𒈛 (=LUḪ "minister"); lum 𒈝
  • M: maḫ 𒈤 (=MAḪ "great"); man (=MAN "20"); mar 𒈥; maš 𒈦 (=MAŠ "half"); meš (="90") ; mil/mel 𒅖 (=iš); miš 𒈩 ; mur 𒄯 (=ḫur); mut (=MUD "blood")
  • N: nam 𒉆 (=NAM "district"); nab/p 𒀮; nir 𒉪; niš (=man)
  • P/B: p/bal 𒁄; pár/bar 𒈦 (=maš); paš ; pád/t,píd/t 𒁁; p/bíl 𒉋 (=GIBIL "new"); pir ; p/biš,pùš 𒄫 (=gir); p/bur
  • R: rad/t 𒋥; riš 𒊕 (=šag)
  • Š: šaḫ 𒋚 (=ŠUBUR "pig"); šag/k 𒊕 (=SAG "head"); šal 𒊩 (=MUNUS "woman"); šam 𒌑 (=ú); šàm ; šab/p ; šar 𒊬 (=SAR "plant"); šìp ; šir 𒋓 (=ŠIR "testicles"); šum 𒋳; šur 𒋩
  • T/D: t/daḫ, túḫ 𒈭; tág/k,dag/k 𒁖; t/dal 𒊑 (=ri); tám/dam 𒁮 (=DAM "wife"); t/dan 𒆗 (=kal); tab/p,dáb/p 𒋰 (=TAB "2") ; tar 𒋻; t/dáš,t/diš 𒁹 ("1") ; tàš 𒀾; tin/tén 𒁷; t/dim 𒁴 ; dir (=DIR "red") ; tir/ter 𒌁 (=TIR "forest") ; tíš  ; túl 𒇥; t/dum 𒌈; t/dub/p 𒁾 (=DUB "clay tablet") ; túr/dur 𒄙 (=DUR "strip")
  • Z: zul 𒂄; zum 𒍮

[edit] Determiners

Determiners are Sumerograms that are not pronounced but indicate the class or nature of a noun for clarity, e.g. in URUḪa-at-tu-ša (𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭) the URU is a determiner marking the name of a city, and the pronunciation is simply /hattusa/. Sumerograms proper on the other hand are ideograms intended to be pronounced in Hittite.

  • m, I ("1", DIŠ) 𒁹, male personal names
  • DIDLI 𒀸 (suffixed), plural or collective
  • DIDLI ḪI.A 𒀸𒄭𒀀 (suffixed), plural
  • DINGIR (D) 𒀭 "deity"
  • DUG 𒂁 "vessel"
  • É 𒂍 "house"
  • GAD 𒃰 "linen, cloth"
  • GI 𒄀 "tube; reed"
  • GIŠ 𒄑 "wood"
  • GUD 𒄞 "bovid"
  • ḪI.A 𒄭𒀀(suffixed), plural
  • ḪUR.SAG 𒄯𒊕 "mountain"
  • ÍD "river"
  • IM 𒅎 "clay"
  • ITU 𒌚 "month"
  • KAM 𒄰 (suffixed), numerals
  • KI 𒆠 (suffixed), in some placenames
  • KU6 𒄩 "fish"
  • KUR 𒆳 "land"
  • KUŠ 𒋢 "hide, fur"
  • LÚ 𒇽 "man"
  • MEŠ 𒈨𒌍 (suffixed), plural
  • MEŠ ḪI.A 𒈨𒌍𒄭𒀀 (suffixed), plural
  • MUL 𒀯 "star"
  • MUNUS (f) 𒊩 "woman", female personal name
  • MUŠ 𒈲 "serpent"
  • MUŠEN 𒄷 (suffixed) "bird"
  • NA4 "stone"
  • NINDA 𒃻 "bread"
  • PÚ "source"
  • SAR 𒊬 (suffixed) "plant"
  • SI 𒋛 "horn"
  • SÍG 𒋠 "wool"
  • TU7 𒄰 "soup"
  • TÚG 𒌆 "garment"
  • Ú 𒌑 "plant"
  • URU 𒌷 "city"
  • URUDU 𒍐 "copper"
  • UZU 𒍜 "meat"

[edit] References

  • E. Forrer, Die Keilschrift von Boghazköi, Leipzig (1922)
  • J. Friedrich, Hethitisches Keilschrift-Lesebuch, Heidelberg (1960)
  • Chr. Rüster, E. Neu, Hethitisches Zeichenlexikon (HZL), Wiesbaden (1989)
  • Gillian R. Hart, Some Observations on Plene-Writing in Hittite, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1980)

[edit] External links

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