Script and Phonemes in Empire Akkadian

Rebecca Hasselbach's Sargonic Akkadian: A Historical and Comparative Study of the Syllabic Texts (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2005) is critically reviewed. The term Reichsakkadisch 'Empire Akkadian' is introduced, arguing that it denotes the stage of the language under consideration here better than Old Akkadian or Sargonic Akkadian. Hasselbach's interpretation of vowels represented by the various Akkadian cuneiforms is critiqued, comparing her analysis with Walter Sommerfeld's (2003) readings. Her monograph is criticized for glossing over some important arguments debated in Akkadian linguistics, including the development of the syllabic script, while other arguments are found to be insufficiently supported with documentation & evidence. Hasselbach is praised, however, for a consistent & systematic methodology of inventorying the available texts according to genre & region of provenance. It is acknowledged that despite the criticisms made in this review, her work makes important contributions to Akkadian linguistics, in particular the language's dialectal division. Z. Dubiel