Wikipedia: Semitic language

Semitic language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The term Semitic languages is the traditional way of refering to those languages which constitute the Northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages. In linguistics, it has gradually come to be realized that "Semetic" is a term of some heated cultural objection and is thus no longer considered perfectly politically correct.

The most common Semitic languages spoken today are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, and Tigrinya.

The Eastern Semitic Languages

Akkadian language -- extinct
Eblaite language -- extinct

The Central Semitic languages

North & West Central Semitic languages

Canaanite languages
- Hebrew language
- Amorite language -- extinct
- Moabite language -- extinct
- El Amarna -- extinct
- Phoenician language -- extinct
Aramaic language
- Syriac language
Ugaritic language -- extinct

South Central (Arabic) languages

The South Semitic languages

Western (within South Semitic)

Ethiopic languages
- North
  - Tigrinya language
  - Tigre language
  - Ge'ez language -- extinct
- South
  - Transverse
    - Amharic language
    - Argobba language
    - Harari language
    - East Gurage languages
      - Selti language
      - Wolane language
      - Zway language
      - Ulbare language
      - Inneqor language
  - Outer
    - Soddo language
    - Goggot language
    - Muher language
    - West Gurage languages
      - Masqan language
      - Ezha language
      - Gura language
      - Gyeto language
      - Ennemor language
      - Endegen language
Old South Arabian -- extinct

Eastern (within South Semitic)

Soqotri language
Mehri language
Jibbali language
Harusi language
Bathari language
Hobyot language

Common characteristics

These languages all exhibit a pattern of words consisting of triconsonantal roots, with vowel changes, prefixes, and suffixes used to inflect them. For instance, in Hebrew:

gdl means "big" but is no part of speech and not a word, just a root

gadol means "big" and is an masculine adjective

gdola means "big" (feminine adjective)

giddel means "he grew" (transitive verb)

gadal means "he grew" (intransitive verb)

higdil means "he magnified" (transitive verb)

magdelet means "magnifier" (lens)

spr is the root for "count" or "recount"

sefer means "book" (containing tales which are recounted)

sofer means "scribe" (Masoretic scribes counted verses)

mispar means "number".

Other Afro-Asiatic languages show similar patterns; e.g. in Tamashek Tawa akhluk means "creation" and ikhlakdu "he created".