Terrien De Lacouperie, “The Old Babylonian Characters and their Chinese Derivatives”, 1888 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
Here I present: Peter Hogan (author) & Tara Hogan (editor), “Sumerian Cuneiform Dictionary: MUGSAR“, 2014, PART TWO (II).
Terrien De Lacouperie in 1888 was the first to equate cuneiform logograms with Chinese logos. BELOW is a listing of Sumerian logograms from Peter Hogan’s dictionary. The cuneiform are in stroke-order, from the simplest to the most complex.
| 1.. | 一 | 𒀸 AŠ 一 number-one (1), single, unique, sole; alone. |
| 1.. | 十 | 𒌋 U 1 十 ten (10). |
| 2.. | 打开 | 𒁁 BAD / BE 2 remote; 打开 to open, undo. |
| 2.. | 外部 | 𒁇 BAR 2 外部 outside, (other) side; behind; outer form, outer; fleece; outsider, strange. |
| 2.. | 转弯 | 𒃵 GAM 2 转弯 to bend, curve, wrap around; 鞠躬 to bow; to roll up; to curb, restrain; to watch over. |
| 2.. | 六百 | 𒐞 g̃ešdu 2 六百 six-hundred (600). |
| 3.. | 水 | 𒀀 A 3 水 water. |
| 3.. | 母牛 | 𒀖 AB₂ 3 母牛 cow. |
| 3.. | 亚麻 | 𒃰 GAD 3 linen, 亚麻 flax (plant fibre that is made into a thread and woven). |
| 3.. | 分裂 | 𒄬 HAL 3 分裂 divide, deal out, distribute; to perform an extispicy. |
| 3..3.. | 父 | 𒀀 𒀀 A-A 3+3 父 father. |
| 3..4.. | 系词 | 𒀀𒀭 am₃ 3+4 系词 copula (linking verb). |
| 3..9.. | 什麼 | 𒀀 𒈾 A-NA 3+9 什麼 what? |
| 4.. | 天空 | 𒀭AN / diĝir 4 天空 sky, 上帝 god, goddess, deity, cosmic; 天堂 heaven; upper; crown. |
| 4.. | 分配 | 𒁀 BA 4 split; to divide into shares, share, halve, 分配 to allot. |
| 4.. | 二轮战车 | 𒁷 DIN 4 二轮战车 chariot, vegetable. |
| 4.. | 面包 | 𒃻 GAR 4 面包 bread, pastry, baked, food – determinative. |
| 4.. | 容量单位 | 𒄥 GUR 4 容量单位 capacity unit (300 liters), measuring vessel. |
| 4.. | 利益 | 𒄭 HI 4 利益 good, good thing, goodness, sweet. |
| 4.. | 鸟 | 𒄷 HU 4 鸟 bird-determinative. |
| 4.. | 三千, 六百 | 𒄭 DUG₃ 4 三千，六百个 three-thousand, six-hundred (3600). |
| 4..5.. | 出去 | 𒌓 𒁺 UD-DU 4+5 to leave, 出去 to go out; to thread, hang on a string; to remove. |
| 5.. | 窗口 | 𒀊 AB 5 cosmic sea, 窗口 window. |
| 5.. | 长的 | 𒁍 BU 5 长的 long, length, to tear. |
| 5.. | 去 | 𒁺 DU 5 去 to go / come; to flow. |
| 5.. | 屁股 | 𒆪 DUR₂ 5 rump, 屁股 buttocks. |
| 5.. | 房子 | 𒂷 ga₂ 5 place, 房子 house. |
| 5.. | 牛 | 𒄞 GUD 5 bull, ox; 牛 cattle; calf; lion. |
| 5.. | 脚 | 𒄸 HUB₂ 5 脚 foot. |
| 6.. | 年轻人 | 𒀫 AMAR 6 年轻人 young, youngster, son, descendant; calf / young bull, chick. |
| 6.. | 奴隶 | 𒀴 ARAD 6 奴隶 slave, servant. |
| 6.. | 针 | 𒁑 BULUG 6 针 pin / needle; stake; boundary. |
| 6.. | 绵羊 | 𒇻 DIB. 6. 绵羊 sheep. |
| 6.. | 大大的 | 𒃲 GAL 6 大大的 great-big. |
| 6.. | 高度 | 𒃴 GALAM 6 高度 height, altitude. |
| 6.. | 头 | 𒊕 sag 6 头 head. |
| 6.. | 剃刀 | 𒄈 GIR₂ 6 剃刀 razor-knife, dagger-sword. |
| 7.. | 杆 | 𒁴 DIM 7 杆 pole, pillar-post, binding, knot, bond; plant. |
| 7.. | 说吧 | 𒂊 e 7 说吧 to-speak, interjection marker. |
| 7.. | 绳 | 𒄖 GU 7 绳 cord, net; unretted flax stalks; rump. |
| 7..11.. | 烹饪 | 𒈬 𒀝 MU-AK 7+11 烹饪 do-cooking. |
| 8.. | 父 | 𒀜 AD 8 父 father. |
| 8.. | 柄锄 | 𒀠 AL 8 柄锄 hoe / hoeing, pickax. |
| 8.. | 制革工 | 𒀿 ašgab 8 制革工 leather-worker, tanner. |
| 8.. | 酒精饮料 | 𒁉 BI 8 酒精饮料 alcoholic drink (“determinative” alcohol), beer. |
| 8.. | 献祭 | 𒁓 BUR 8 offering, 献祭 sacrifice; meal(-time); (stone) bowl; a priest. |
| 8.. | 本地 | 𒂠eš₂ 8 本地 native, locality, local. |
| 8.. | 圆头 | 𒃼 GAR₃ 8 圆头 knob; a unit of measurement. |
| 8.. | 葡萄酒 | 𒃾 ĝeštin 8 vine; 葡萄酒 wine. |
| 8.. | 打破 | 𒄢 GUL 8 smite, break, to destroy; 打破 to break; to flatten; to carve, cut; to engrave. |
| 8..10..9.. | 西亚 | 𒆠𒂗𒄀 KI-EN-GI 8+10+9 西亚 Sumer. |
| 9.. | 妈妈 | 𒂼 AMA 9 妈妈 mother. |
| 9.. | 系谱 | 𒁕 DA 9 系谱 line (in genealogy), side. |
| 9.. | 宽度 | 𒂼 DAGAL 9 宽度 width, wide, breadth. |
| 9.. | 压碎 | 𒁯 DAR 9 to break up, 压碎 crush, crushed, grind; to split, split up; to cut open. |
| 9.. | 房 | 𒂍 E₂ 9 房 house, household; temple; station. |
| 9.. | 芦苇 | 𒄀 ge / gi 9 芦苇 reed (stylus). |
| 9.. | 脚 | 𒄉 GIR₃ 9 脚 foot; path; via, by means of, under the authority of someone. |
| 9.. | 税 | 𒄘 GU₂ 9 unit of weight (1 mina = 60 shekels. 1 talent = 60 mina); load; yield; rent, 税 tax, tribute. |
| 9..9.. | 楔形文字 | 𒂼𒄀 AMA-GI 9+9 楔形文字 Cuneiform. |
| 9..10.. | 客栈 | 𒂍 𒁮 e₂-DAM 9+10 客栈 tavern [ e2 “house” + ~]. |
| 9..13..4.. | 铁笔 | 𒄀𒁾𒁀 9+13+4 铁笔 reed tablet stylus. |
| 9..13..4..3.. | 抄写员学校 | 𒂍𒁾𒁀𒀀 e₂-DUB-BA-A 9+13+4+3 抄写员学校 scribe school [e₂ house + ~]. |
| 10.. | 妻子 | 𒁮 DAM 10 妻子 wife, spouse. |
| 10.. | 重要的 | 𒂂 DUGUD 10 重要的 important, heavy. |
| 10.. | 主人 | 𒂗 EN 10 主人 lord, ruler, priest. |
| 10.. | 唱 | 𒂡 EZEN 10 walled-area, festival, 唱 sing, song, epic. |
| 10.. | 胸膛 | 𒃮 GABA 10 胸膛 chest; breast, front. |
| 10.. | 压碎 | 𒄣 GUM 10 压碎 to-crush. |
| 11.. | 做 | 𒀝 AK 11 做 to do; to make; to act, perform; to proceed (math). |
| 11.. | 耕作 | 𒀳 APIN 11 (seed), 犁 plow, plough, sow, 耕作 farm. |
| 11.. | 住处 | 𒁖 DAG 11 住处 dwelling. |
| 11.. | 鬼魂 | 𒄇 GIDIM 11 鬼魂 ghost. |
| 11..21.. | 牛群 | 𒁖 𒁞 DAG-KISIM 11+21 牛群 cow herd. |
| 12.. | 挖掘 | 𒂄 DUN 12 挖掘 to dig. |
| 13.. | 碑 | 𒁾 DUB 13 碑 clay-tablet, document. |
| 13.. | 哺乳 | 𒂵 GA 13 哺乳 suckling (cow), young. |
| 13.. | 返回 | 𒄄 GI 13 to turn, 返回 return, to go around; to change status; to return (with claims in a legal case). |
| 13..10.. | 结婚 | 𒉆 𒁮 NAM-DAM 13+10 结婚 marriage. |
| 13..13 | 对话 | 𒄄𒄄 GI-GI 13+13 对话 conversation (replies); jewellry; diviner (hidden knowledge). |
| 13..13.. | 抄写员 | 𒁾 𒊬 DUB-SAR 13+13 抄写员 scribe, scriber. |
| 13..13..13.. | 抄写员艺术 | 𒉆𒁾𒊬 NAM-DUB-SAR 13+13+13 抄写员艺术 scribe arts. |
| 14.. | 生育 | 𒃶 GAN 14 bear young; 生育 child-bearing. |
| 17.. | 劳动 | 𒀉 A₂ 17 劳动 labor; wing; horn; side; strength; wage; power | time. |
| 17.. | 乐器 | 𒁆 BALAG / DUB 17 harp, large drum (乐器 musical instrument). |
| 17.. | 颤动 | 𒁆 DUB / BALAG 17 颤动 to tremble, make tremble; to push away, down; to smash, abolish. |
| 18.. | 北风 | 𒂈 dun₄ 18 yoke, 北风 north wind; north; storm. |
| 19.. | 马 | 𒀲 anše 19 donkey, mule, 马 horse. |
| 19.. | 石山羊 | 𒁰 DARA₃ 19 wild goat, 石山羊 mountain goat. |
| 22.. | 雕像 | 𒀩 ALAN 22 雕像 statue, icon, form. |
| 22.. | 讲台 | 𒁈 BARA 22 ruler, king; 讲台 dais, seat, 讲台 podium. |
| 23.. | 夏天 | 𒄦 GUR₇ 23 harvest, 夏天 summer. |
| 24.. | 陶工人 | 𒁃 BAHAR 24 陶工人 potter, pottery worker. |
Here I presented: Peter Hogan (author) & Tara Hogan (editor), “Sumerian Cuneiform Dictionary: MUGSAR“, 2014, PART TWO (II).
SUMMARY.
The diagram BELOW is of the linguistic pathway of the human brain.
The “arcuate fasciculus” is a nerve fiber bundle connection between the language-expression (Broca area) and the language-understanding (Wernicke area).
Ancient Mesopotamia’ and Ancient China were amongst the very first languages to be written down. Sumerian and Chinese are logographic writing systems that can have the symbols arranged in numerical order of marks in a logogram.
Here I presented some of logograms from Peter Hogan’s dictionary. The dictionary by Peter Hogan is for the general reader who is building a vocabulary of cuneiforms.
I list cuneiforms in stroke-order because a beginner needs a straight forward presentation.
Terrence Deacon, “The Symbolic Species: Co-evolution of Language and Brain”, 1997 was the topic of an earlier blog post.
