Emphasis in the Akkadian Language

Abstract

Emphasis is considered as an important outstanding stylistic phenomenon in the Akkadian language. One can understand the importance of this phenomenon and analyze it to throw some light on its secrets via reading, analyzing, studying, the cuneiform texts written in the Akkadian language and contrasting them with some other Arabite languages. The researcher tackles the relations found in a text in both of its oral and semantic aspects via the analysis of the objectives intended on the part of the addresser when he is forming his message and the addressee''s comprehension of the message which may vary among the cases of showing; attestation, mendacity, denial or hesitation. This, indeed, compels the addresser to form his message in such a way as to be convenient with any of the above mentioned cases. Such object is, indeed, applicable via the use of emphasis on the following levels: ( 1 ) Semantically via the oral repetition of meaning, or ( 2 ) Orally via the use of some utterances indicating assertion, the use of the present form of the verb preceded by a demand, the use of an oath to indicate assertion or the use of an attributive expression to indicate assertion. The second type, i.e., the oral emphasis has been tackled in some details. Generally, the emphasis is divided into the following two main types: First- The Oral Emphasis: This type of emphasis is used to strengthen the speech, confirm it and make the addressee understand without any illusion, ambiguity or oblivion. In this type of emphasis, there is a follower which determines the followed part of the text; i.e., the first utterance that is uttered identically. This style; i.e., the oral emphasis was so common in the Akkadian texts especially those recitative ones in which the above mentioned procedure was unequivocally followed for the sake of the emphasis which creates the effect on the addressee. Second- The Semantic Emphasis : In this type of emphasis, there is a follower which determines the followed part of the text so as to remove the ambiguity and the semantic expansion. This type of emphasis is applicable via the use of some special utterances, sentences containing a present verb preceded by a demand, an oath, attributive expression or the use of an article.