Further evidence of insanity

[dreamer_easy]

I've signed up for a summer class in Akkadian. A week and a half of January mornings studying the cuneiform language of ancient Babylon. Now that's my idea of fun!!!

Comments

[kiri-l.livejournal.com]

WHERE! *she posts something that exciting.. and then leaves no details... agggh*

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Very surprised at other peoples' interest in cuneiform! It's on at Macquarie University - officially applications have closed, but they very kindly allowed me to sign up after the deadline. Here's the Web page.

[kiri-l.livejournal.com]

Thanks.. is this done online? *curious*

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

It doesn't look like Ye Olde Distance Education is available for the course, if that's what you're after - there is a $AUD40 textbook if you're interested in that, tho.

[kiri-l.livejournal.com]

I've actually studied cuneiform before.. =) I'm glad to se they're offering it!

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

q00l! Who knows, I may end up pestering you for pointers. :-)

[kiri-l.livejournal.com]

Oh lord.. it was years ago! I hardly remember anything now!

[zeusgirl.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that does sound like fun!

*is envious*

[tenebraeli.livejournal.com]

Damn it, now I'm all jealous of you! Seriously! I'd love to do that!

[fizzixrat.livejournal.com]

It's fun to do mathematics in cuneiform. And their peculiar base 10/base 60 blend. (Particularly with fractions.)

[infinitarian.livejournal.com]

Cool. I was at the Persian exhibition at the British Museum the other weekend, and was thinking then that I wished I had the first idea about cuneiform. If an inscription's in the Greek or Roman alphabet I get occasional foggy glimpses of sense from it, but cuneiform might as well be a bunch of clawmarks as far as I'm concerned. Sounds very interesting.

[infinitarian.livejournal.com]

Oops. That was meant to be a generic reply, not a specific one.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Indeedly, though in a complicated way - Akkadian uses the same cuneiform signs as Sumerian, but to represent different sounds. When the Semites rocked up to Mesopotamia, their language replaced Sumerian, except in religious texts. The two languages are unrelated in the way that, say, French is related to Latin, but they're historically intertwined.

I reckon if I can learn Akkadian, it'll make learning Hebrew easier, which will make learning Yiddish easier, which will make learning German easier. 'Cos you gotta have GOALS.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]