Elamite texts for historical purposes, the writer undertook some years ago the compilation of an Elamite dictionary. The facilities furnished by the great Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute were at his disposal; and his dictionary, since completed, in the manner of its Assyrian predecessor permits the examination and comparison of every word in the published Elamite inscriptions with full context. Without the revised translations made possible by the dictionary, this history could never have been prepared, nor would many important details of Elamite grammatical structure have become clear. Only the essential features of the Elamite language need, however, be indicated in this study.
In matters of phonology there is marked disagreement between the spoken word and the written script. The Elamites rarely made clear distinction in writing between voiced and voiceless consonants; their b and p, d and t, g and k, and z and s were seldom differentiated.[1] Individual vowels were frequently nasalized in the spoken language, but in the written word an overhanging m, n, or ng was often omitted. Further, the cuneiform script made no provision for a few of the sounds which could be heard in the spoken language; thus, for example, a sound variously heard as t, l, or lt led to diverse methods of spelling
- ↑ Thus arose such dual forms as kudur and kutur or kutir, as in Kudur-Nahhunte; Lagamar and Lakamar, the name of a deity; Anzan and Anshan, the name of a land. Throughout this work, attempt has been made to adhere to the Elamite usage customary in the period in question.
