Here's a breakdown:
Major Languages:
* Sumerian: The earliest language written in cuneiform, spoken in ancient Mesopotamia.
* Akkadian: A Semitic language that replaced Sumerian as the lingua franca of Mesopotamia.
* Babylonian: A dialect of Akkadian spoken in Babylonia.
* Assyrian: Another dialect of Akkadian spoken in Assyria.
* Elamite: An ancient language spoken in Elam, a region east of Mesopotamia.
* Hittite: An Indo-European language spoken in Anatolia (modern Turkey).
* Hurrian: A non-Indo-European language spoken in northern Mesopotamia and Anatolia.
* Urartian: A language spoken in the kingdom of Urartu, north of Assyria.
Other Languages:
Cuneiform was also used to write various other languages, including:
* Old Persian: The language of the Achaemenid Empire.
* Luwian: An Anatolian language.
* Palaic: Another Anatolian language.
* Hattic: A non-Indo-European language spoken in Anatolia.
* Etruscan: A language spoken in ancient Etruria (central Italy) - although its relationship to other languages is debated.
Counting the Languages:
Depending on whether you consider each dialect a separate language, the number of languages written in cuneiform could range from around 10 to over 20.
It's important to note that some of these languages have only a limited number of surviving cuneiform texts, making it difficult to fully understand their grammar and vocabulary.