L0.5: Syllabification
L0.5: Syllabification#
In order to transliterate correctly from cuneiform it is important to determine the syllables that make up a Akkadian word. There are three rules:
A syllable can only have one vowel.
A syllable may not begin or end with two consonants.
Akkadian word
Syllabification
Translation
balāṭum
ba/la/ṭum
to live
narkabtum
nar/kab/tum
chariot
A syllable may not begin with a vowel:
Exception 1: At the beginning of a word 👉elûm.
Exception 2: Two succesive vowels 👉kīam.
Akkadian word
Syllabification
Translation
elûm
e/lum
upper
kīam, kiʾam or kâm
ki/am, ki/ʾam, kam
so, thus
Note
For kīam there is also the writing kâm.