The Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD) or The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is a nine-decade project at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute to compile a dictionary of the Akkadian language and its dialects, focusing on the New-Assyrian forms. Modeled on the Oxford English Dictionary, work on the project was initiated in 1921 by James Henry Breasted, the founder of the Oriental Institute, who had previously worked on the Berlin dictionary of Ancient Egyptian.
From 1973 to 1996, Erica Reiner was editor in charge, followed by Martha T. Roth, dean of humanities. Expected to take 10 years to complete, the first volume was not published until 1956, and the 26th and final volume was not published until 2011.
At a conference at the Oriental Institute on June 6, 2011, scholars assessed the significance of the dictionary. Gil Stein, director of the Oriental Institute, said it "is an indispensable research tool for any scholar anywhere who seeks to explore the written record of the Mesopotamian civilization." It is one of several large-scale United States dictionary projects for ancient Middle Eastern languages, including the Chicago Hittite Dictionary, the Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary, and the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon.
Read more about Chicago Assyrian Dictionary: Volumes
Famous quotes containing the words chicago, assyrian and/or dictionary:
“You want to get Capone? Here’s how you get him: he pulls a knife, you pull a gun, he sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. It’s the Chicago way and that’s how you get Capone.”
—David Mamet, U.S. screenwriter, and Brian DePalma. Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery)
“The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold:”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
““Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book?” asked Mrs. Dodypol. “It depends,” says I, “how much you used the dictionary before you read it.””
—Alexander Theroux (b. 1940)