Editing Hittite:Glossing recommendations (section)

== Problems with the Cuneiform Script: Syllabic and Logographic spelling ==
The Hittite language was written in the cuneiform script that ultimately derived from Southern Mesopotamia. The cuneiform script consists of syllabic and logographic signs. Since the script was originally not invented to write an Indo-European language such as Hittite, it is not the best suitable script to write such a language. The Hittite cuneiform script uses consonant-vowel (CV) and vowel-consonant (VC) signs as well as single vowel (V) signs and consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) signs. This syllabic writing system masks the exact phonetics of the Hittite language. For example, it makes it impossible to write consonant clusters which are common in Indo-European languages. Logograms in Hittite texts are signs or combinations of signs that designate a specific Hittite word. Two types of logograms are distinguished in Hittite texts: Sumerograms and Akkadograms. Sumerograms are words from the Sumerian language whereas Akkadograms are words from the Akkadian language. 

In transliterations of Hittite texts it is custom to distinguish between the different logographic and syllabic spellings. Syllabic signs, which reflect the Hittite language directly, are written in italics and separated by hyphens (-). Sumerograms are written in capital letters and uses dots (.) to separate the different signs, whereas Akkadograms are written in italicized capital letters and uses hyphens (-) to separate the different signs. In addition, one finds syllabic endings attached to logographically written words. Akkadographic endings can also be attached to a Sumerogram, these are written in superscript. 
Examples:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Transliteration !! Glossing transcription !! Gloss
|-
| MUNUS.LUGAL || MUNUS.LUGAL || queen
|-
| DUMU || DUMU || son
|-
| DUMU-''aš'' || DUMU''aš'' || son:GEN.SG
|-
| ''A-BU''	|| ''ABU'' or ''attaš'' || father:NOM.SG.C
|-
| DINGIR''LIM-iš'' || DINGIR''LIMiš'' || god:NOM.SG.C
|}

These logograms can complicate glossing a Hittite text, especially when the Hittite word underlying the Sumerogram or Akkadogram is unknown. We suggest to do the following when one is glossing a Hittite text or text passage. If possible, write the underlying Hittite word(s) in its correct form in the glossing transliteration line. When the underlying word or its correct form is unknown, leave the logogram in its capitalized format. For Sumerograms one should also leave the separating dots. For Akkadograms one should make a bound transcription of the Akkadian word and, hence, remove the separating hyphens, but leave the italics. The hyphen that connects the syllabically written endings may be removed. 

One should be cautious to gloss the underlying Hittite language and not the script. For example, unlike Hittite Akkadian does distinguish between masculine and feminine and this can be reflected in Akkadograms such as in DUMU=''ŠU'' ‘his son’. Nonetheless one should not gloss it as masculine (M), since that does not reflect the Hittite language (DUMU=''ŠU'' son=his.POSS.3SG.C (not M!)). In addition, a Hittite construction may differ from that of a logographically written one. For example, Akkadograms, in accordance with the Akkadian language, make use of prepositions, whereas Hittite uses postpositions or perhaps a case ending instead.

On the Hittite cuneiform script, Hittite writing conventions and modern transcription conventions, see Hoffner & Melchert 2008: pp. 9-24.