Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE NES2022

 
TITLE Akkadian 1

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 6

 
DEPARTMENT Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit offers a comprehensive introduction to Akkadian as both a spoken and written language within the ancient cultures of the Near East. Students will delve into the grammatical structures essential for understanding and acquiring the language. Emphasis is placed on initiating basic cuneiform writing skills, focusing on the most frequently used signs.

Participants will gain proficiency in transliterating and translating passages written in standard Babylonian and Assyrian. The unit extends beyond theoretical knowledge, empowering students to engage in practical applications. They will learn to conduct research using primary sources, including display texts and archival documents. Additionally, the unit equips students with the skills to translate cuneiform inscriptions found on clay tablets worldwide, utilizing high-definition photography in museum collections. By the end of the unit, students will possess a foundational understanding of Akkadian, preparing them for both academic and practical pursuits in the field.

Study-unit Aims:

- Introduce students to the lingua franca of the 2nd and 1st Millennia BC in the ancient Near East;
- Teach students the grammatical forms that describe the language in its known extent;
- Enable students to manipulate grammatical knowledge to construct phrases and sentences in Akkadian;
- Enable students to transliterate and translate Akkadian to English;
- Help students use the knowledge to carry out research with primary sources (archival tablets and display inscriptions from high definition museum images);
- Contribute to analyses of comparative Semitic languages.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- recognise difference between syllabic and sumerographic writing;
- show how to transliterate and translate appropriately;
- identify the grammatical construction of Akkadian nouns and adjectives and their case, number and gender;
- recognise agreement of the case, number, and gender or nouns and adjectives;
- identify the construct state in its basic and complex formulations;
- show the appropriate use of the possessive suffix, the dual forms, and propositions;
- identify the Four verbal systems;
- predict meaning from theme radicals and theme vowels;
- distinguish between the present, preterite and perfect forms of the verb;
- contrast stative and verbal adjectives;
- identify and distinguish between the imperative, precative, and infinitive verbal forms.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- spell and write Akkadian words syllabically and sumerographically;
- transliterate and translate words from Akkadian to English construct phrases in Akkadian;
- write basic sentences to show ability to place nouns and adjectives in the right word order and in case, number, and gender agreement;
- formulate phrases using the construct state;
- write phrases that show the use of the suffix, duals, and prepositions in context;
- explain the four verbal systems and write the verbs appropriately;
- write basic sentences in Akkadian that use the present, preterite, perfect, imperative, precative, and infinitive verbal configurations correctly;
- explain the difference between stative and verbal forms appropriately;
- carry out dictionary work;
- transcribe, transliterate, and translate from high definition images documents from Akkadian to English.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Caplice, R. 2002. Introduction to Akkadian. 4th Ed. Istituto Pontificio Biblico, Rome.
- Huehnergard, J. 2011. A Grammar of Akkadian. 3rd Ed. Brill [PJ3521.H84 2011]

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 50%
Examination (2 Hours) SEM1 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S Omar N'Shea

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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