SUMERIAN LANGUAGE Meaning and
Definition
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The Sumerian language is an extinct language that was primarily spoken in ancient Sumer, which is now present-day southern Iraq, during the third millennium BCE. It is regarded as the earliest known written language and is considered one of the first civilizations in human history. The academic study of this language falls under the field of Sumerology.
Sumerian is classified as an agglutinative language, characterized by the addition of affixes to root words to indicate meaning, tense, aspect, and case. It utilized a cuneiform writing system, which involved the use of wedge-shaped marks made on clay tablets. These clay tablets, discovered by archaeologists, serve as valuable primary sources for understanding the Sumerian civilization.
The Sumerian language influenced subsequent civilizations in the Mesopotamian region, and its script was adapted and used by various other languages like Akkadian and later Babylonian and Assyrian. However, the Sumerian language itself became extinct around the second millennium BCE, replaced by the Akkadian language, though it continued to be utilized for religious, scholarly, and cultural purposes for centuries.
Despite its extinction as a spoken language, the study of Sumerian has remained important for deciphering ancient texts and understanding the social, political, religious, and economic systems of the Sumerian civilization. Modern scholarship in Sumerology has made significant progress in deciphering and translating Sumerian texts, enabling a deeper understanding of one of the earliest known human civilizations.
Etymology of SUMERIAN LANGUAGE
The word "Sumerian" is derived from "Sumer", an ancient civilization that existed in what is now southern Iraq, specifically in the regions of Sumer and Babylonia. The Sumerians are considered to be one of the earliest civilizations in human history, developing an advanced society with a complex culture and system of writing. The Sumerian language, also known as Sumerian, is the oldest written language known to humanity and is not directly related to any modern language. Its etymology is primarily connected to the civilization and region it originated from.
