Why did recognizing Akkadian as a Semitic language advance the study of cuneiform?

Recognizing Akkadian as a Semitic language was a pivotal breakthrough in the study of cuneiform. Once scholars established the Semitic character of the language, the core of the complex cuneiform system became intelligible, allowing for the rapid development of the philological science of Assyriology from the late 19th century onward.1

This identification provided a necessary prototype for interpreting other languages written in cuneiform. Because Akkadian served as a central language of cuneiform culture, its decipherment helped scholars overcome the system's inherent difficulties, such as the extreme variety of signs, polyphony, and the mixture of ideographic and syllabic uses. Furthermore, the established understanding of Akkadian acted as a critical tool for analyzing other languages; for instance, Akkadian versions in bilingual texts served as essential clues for deciphering and understanding the structure of languages like Hittite and Urartian.12