The Akkadian dictionary, which preceded the Assyrian project, today contains nearly 11,000 entries and attracts a significant audience. It consistently records more visitors than the Assyrian dictionary, which has grown to nearly 49,000 entries. Both tools illustrate how modest resources combined with steady perseverance can sustain platforms that benefit learners, teachers, and researchers worldwide.
Nurtured by one man's devotion
At the heart of these efforts is Jean-Paul Sliva, an Assyrian whose grandparents were among the first to settle in France and a honorary and founding member of the AAF. Based in southern France, he has been enriching the databases for years, word after word, in what he describes as a long-term commitment rather than a finished project. He often quotes a biblical phrase that has become emblematic of his mission: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," in a reference to the fact that few Assyrians have been able to keep up with his consistency and work to maintain and expand the dictionaries.
The project had its origins at a conference for foreign languages spoken in France where Jean-Paul Sliva met Olivier Lauffenburger, a talented computer programmer whose many hobbies included the Akkadian and Hittite languages. Lauffenburger had developed a Hittite website and had thus acquired the skills of dealing with cuneiform characters on screen displays. Association Assyrophile, having quite a few documents about Akkadian, suggested they join their effort. Lauffenburger agreed and wrote a program to create an Akkadian-English-French dictionary. Based on this work, Association Assyrophile and Lauffenburger were quickly able to begin the Assyrian dictionary project in 2006. What started as a modest project will celebrate 20 years of continuous existence next year, making it one of the longest-serving Assyrian online resources -- if not the oldest.
Over time, Jean-Paul Sliva has developed his own knowledge of linguistics to be able to feed the dictionaries. Yet, as he himself acknowledges, he cannot do everything alone. "I am not a specialist of the language. I have learned a lot, but often I need to reach out to more experienced contributors, people who can provide corrections or insights that I could not find on my own," he explains. This reliance on a network of contributors is both a necessity and a strength: it can slow down the pace of enrichment, but it also ensures that the content gains in precision and reliability.
Olivier Lauffenburger, the technical backbone of the project who created the software on which both dictionaries run, has proven to be a key ally. He continues to provide steady technical support whenever needed. The Association Assyrophile de France also provides minimal but essential financial backing, covering logistical costs such as hosting and server maintenance. Beyond that, however, the projects have no institutional funding. All work is voluntary, and their continuity depends entirely on the persistence of a handful of individuals.
"They belong to everyone who cares about the language"
What makes these online dictionaries remarkable is their international dimension. Although initiated in France, they are used daily from Europe, North America, Australia, and the Middle East. For many in the Assyrian diaspora, they have become indispensable tools for reconnecting with a linguistic heritage that is often absent from formal curricula.
The international aspect also manifests itself in the correspondence received by the team. Users send technical questions, suggest corrections, or ask broader clarifications about the language.
As Sliva observes: "The correspondence we receive shows that the dictionaries belong to everyone who cares about these languages. They are no longer just French initiatives; they are truly international." Always on the lookout for a helping hand, he says: "If someone is willing to lend a hand -- whether in linguistics, technical support, or simply by contributing their knowledge -- they are more than welcome".
Both the Akkadian and Assyrian dictionaries remain works in progress, constantly enriched and corrected. Balancing modern and classical Assyrian, and occasionally linking cognates with related languages, requires patience and rigor. For Jean-Paul Sliva, the challenge is as much about time as about resources. Yet he insists on the necessity of the effort: "Every new word we add makes the dictionary more useful. It is slow, but it is continuous", he says, adding: "That is the most important thing."
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