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Learning Cuneiform The Modern Way

Poster · February 2015

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 Learning Cuneiform the Modern Way
Timo Homburg*, Christian Chiarcos*, Thomas Richter°, Dirk Wicke° Graz, Austria
*Institut für Informatik °Institut für Archäologie 25.02.2015
Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main
This poster shows newly developed tools for the input and learning of cuneiform languages
(Akkadian, Hittite, Sumerian), which were developed at Goethe University Frankfurt. Previously, the Implementations
typing and processing of cuneiform languages was merely possible by means of their transliteration
of by copying cuneiform unicode characters from the respecite cuneiform code list. Dictionaries
usually did not include unicode cuneiform characters or displayed them as images so that they were
not useful for seraching or processing them using a computer. East Asian languages like Japanese or Requirements:
Chinese however show us how to create learning software and input methods to input non- ●
Several requirements depending on the
alphabetical languages and how to index them. We used those languages as inspiration to develop platform
similar tools for cuneiform languages. In our poster we demonstrate those ideas, show how one ●
Central task of the operating system
could use the tools in teaching cuneiform languages to students and provide an example of how ●
Cross-platform compatibility is desirable
vocabulary training on cuneiform languages can be done using the software Anki. The presented ●
Web-compatible implementations could
tools were developed in the context of a masters thesis [2] dealing with akkadian word be very useful
segemntation algorithms at the chair for applied computational linguistics at Goethe University
Frankfurt. The thesis has the goal to do preliminary research in the field of Akkadian word Java Input Method Framework: Version of an IME for
recognition and word segmentation and building on that to develop better methods for natural applications written in Java
language processing in this field.
The chair for Applied Computational Linguistics (ACoLi) at Goethe University Frankfurt was
established in the year 2013 in order to support the area of Digital Humanities in the aspect of
natural language processing. Building up on previous research by Dr. Chrisitan Chiarcos AcoLi
develops technical infrastructures to analyze, collect and process linguistic data and maintains
infrastructures to save, query and visualize linguistic analysis. One field of research is the analysis of
noneuropearn and historic languages which provides the context of this poster presentation.

Input Method Engines (IME)

Purpose and Function:
●
Input of charactesr in nonalphabetic script using a Ibus IME [8]: One of the most common IME in Web IME: Own development [4] based on jQuery,
transliteration in the latin alphabet Linux. Learns the frequency of user inputs. Builds on ChineseIME [3] for the usage in the web browser without any
●
Efficient input system similar in speed to the independent of the operating system.
typing of latin characters in a latin script
●
Ambiguities are resolved using lists to choose
from
IME für Chinese: An input method engine is Learning Theory
used to input chinese characters using Pinyin.

Goals: Applications in learning theory:

Fundamentals and Requirements: ●
No mental overload of the learner
●
Application: Flash card learning
●
Mapping from latinized version to target script ●
No mental underload of the learner
●
Algorithms like SuperMemo [1] simulate flash card learning
●
Giving word frequencies to prioritize words in the ●
Optimal workload shall be detected
●
Optimal learning and repeating intervals have been
case ob ambiguity resolutions ●
A continuous progress shall be achieved and researched and are generated for optimal learning success
→ More frequent words should be shown at the should be able to be measured
●
Software such as Anki [6] implements flash card learning on
beginning of the list ●
Experiences from structually similar scripts like the computer and mobile devices
●
Integration of words and phrases as selection Japanese or Chinese shall be used as a basis for
●
Flash card learning apps integrate more and more
criteria constructing cuneiform language learning multimedia content to facilitate learning
●
Correction of typing mistakes while typing the
transliteration

Dictionary with frequencies: Data used to

feed a functional IME.

Preparation of resources Flash card learning: Rcorrectly remembered vocabulary is moved one box further to the right, wrongly remember vocabulary is
moved one box tothe left. Every box contains its own repeating interval WI whereas WI(Box n)<WI(Box n+1)
The basis of our resources are corpora extracted from the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI)
[5]. Texts in the ATF format in Akkadian, Hittite, and Sumerian were extracted and prepared for
further application cases.
Cuneiform Learning using Anki
Conversion from ATF to a dictionary:
●
ATF format has evolved over quite some time Usage of Anki[6] to learn vocabularies:
and is the de-factor standard to represent
●
Learning of flash cards from flash card sets
cuneiform tablets
●
Card sets can be generated from corpora or modeled manually using the created IMEs
●
Contains metadata such as tablet numbers etc.
●
Flash cards are saved on the Anki server
●
Conversion to unicode using a transliteration list
●
Integration into teaching classes: Teachers and students may create their own learning sets
of Goethe University (AcoLi) [7]
●
Display and usage of cuneiform fonts removes the obstacle of copying characters when learning (not possible with pictures)
●
Subsequently: Building the dictionary
●
Learning of cuneiform characters is possible on a mobile device using the Anki app
Beginning of a cuneiform tablet in ATF: This
●
Enrichment of the dictionary using word
format provided the basis for further
frequencies from available corpora
processing

IME Construction
Datastructure:
●
A tree [2] including previously prepared vocabulary data
●
Includes all possible word combinations per node and the given transliteration leading to this
node
●
Every typing action reduces the choice by traversing the IME tree
Editing flash cards using Anki and Cuneiform IME: Flashcard in Anki: A generated vocabulary card out of a
Dusing input engines a user friendly handling of cuneiform corpus extended with transliteration and a judgement
flash cards poses a minimum of effort for the user. option of how well the vocabulary was mastered shown once in
the deskop client and once in the AnkiDroid mobile app

References
1. P.A. Wozniak, Optimization Of Learning, Master's Thesis, University Of Technology Poznan, 1990.
2. Timo Homburg. Verfahren zur Wortsegmentierung nichtalphabetische Schriften, Master Thesis, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main.
2015.
3. Herman Schaaf, Chinese IME, http://www.chinese-ime.com
4. Timo Homburg WebIME, https://github.com/situx/webime
5. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) http://cdli.ucla.edu
6. Anki, https://www.ankisrs.net
7. Keilschriftzeichenliste des Lehrstuhls für Computerlinguistik der Uni Frankfurt
Sample datastructure: Constructing the words LUGAL, AN, AT and LU http://www.acoli.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de/resources/cuneiform/signs-final.xml
8. Ibus Input Method Engine https://code.google.com/p/ibus/

Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Institut für Informatik: Timo Homburg ( timo.homburg@gmx.de ), Christian Chiarcos ( chiarcos@em.uni-frankfurt.de )
Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Institut für Archäologie: Thomas Richter ( richter@em.uni-frankfurt.de ), Dirk Wicke ( wicke@em.uni-frankfurt.de )
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