Note 812 — Chapter VI · DECIPHERMENT OF THE THIRD OR BABYLONIAN COLUMN—HINCKS AND RAWLINSON—A.D. 1846-1851
Reading edition
He explained this matter with great clearness in 1850, when he showed that the sign for an is used (1) as a simple phonograph in some words, as in ‘zarangu’; (2) elsewhere it occurs alone as an independent ideograph for ‘god,’ and forms the plural ‘gods’ by the mere addition of the plural sign. (3) Again, it is found before the proper names of gods, as before Aurmuzd. Here the name is phonetically complete without it, and it is therefore simply a non-phonetic determinative. (4) Elsewhere it forms part of a compound ideograph, and may entirely change its phonetic value; and (5) it may be used ideographically for ‘god’ in Semitic proper names, where its value is not an but ilu, or sometimes Assur.—Transactions, ib. pp. 27-30; Athenæum, ib.