East Semitic languages
(Redirected from
East Semitic language
)| East Semitic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | formerly Mesopotamia |
| Linguistic classification | Afro-Asiatic
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | east2678 |
The East Semitic languages are one of three
Kishite, all of which have been long extinct.[3][2][4][5][6][7] They were influenced by the non-Semitic Sumerian language and adopted cuneiform
writing.
East Semitic languages stand apart from other Semitic languages, which are traditionally called West Semitic, in a number of respects. Historically, it is believed that the linguistic situation came about as speakers of East Semitic languages wandered further east, settling in Mesopotamia during the 3rd millennium BC, as attested by Akkadian texts from this period. By the early 2nd millennium BC, East Semitic languages, in particular Akkadian, had come to dominate the region.
Phonology
Modern understanding of the
*ṯalaṯ). However, the exact phonological makeup of the languages is not fully known, and the absence of features may have been the result of the inadequacies of Sumerian orthography to describe the sounds of Semitic languages, rather than their real absence.The
verb–subject–object
.
References
- ISBN 978-0691137223.
- ^ ISBN 9783447051729.
- ISBN 978-0691137223.
- ISBN 9780521077910.
- ISBN 9781107065215.
- ISBN 9781575060552.
- ISBN 9781846942556.
- Huehnergard, J. 1995. “Semitic Languages.” Pp. 2117–2134 in Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Jack Sasson (editor). New York.
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