phonetic alphabet

linguistics

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cuneiform writing

  • Sumerian cuneiform tablet
    In cuneiform: Origin and character of cuneiform

    …word writing to a partial phonetic script. Thus, for example, the picture of a hand came to stand not only for Sumerian šu (“hand”) but also for the phonetic syllable šu in any required context. Sumerian words were largely monosyllabic, so the signs generally denoted syllables, and the resulting mixture…

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