Proto-Semitic language: Difference between revisions

Proto-Semitic is the hypothetical

Proto-Semitic is generally reconstructed as having the following phonemes (as usually transcribed in Semitology; tentative IPA values are given in square brackets)^[2]:

Notes:

1. Nowadays it has become more fashionable to reconstruct z, s,
   ‹ The template below (Deleted template) is being considered for deletion. See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus. ›

ṣ, and sometimes

ṣ́ as affricates, i.e. [dz], [ts], [tsʼ], and [tɬʼ]. If these sounds were affricates, many scholars are inclined to think that š was really a simple [s]. This is the reconstruction for other branches of Proto-Afro-Asiatic; suggesting that this was still the case for Proto-Semitic as well would explain

ṯ merging in Canaanite with š, rather than s. However, the exact history of these sounds has yet to be worked out.

1. The sounds notated here as "
   Ethiopian Semitic languages, Modern South Arabian languages); Modern Hebrew and Maltese
   are exceptions to this general retention, with all emphatics merging into plain consonants.
2. In Aramaic and Hebrew, all non-emphatic stops were softened to fricatives when occurring singly after a vowel, leading to an alternation that was often later phonemicized as a result of the loss of gemination.

Each Proto-Semitic phoneme was reconstructed to explain a certain regular sound correspondence between various Semitic languages:

Proto-Semitic	Akkadian	Arabic		Phoenician		Hebrew		Modern Hebrew	Aramaic		Ge'ez		Modern South Arabian
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ب	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ב	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/v/, /b/	ב	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	በ	Template:Semxlit	/b/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ف	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	פ	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/f/, /p/	פ	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ፈ	Template:Semxlit	/f/
Template:Semxlit [ð]	Template:Semxlit	ذ	Template:ArabDIN [ð]		Template:Semxlit	ז	Template:Semxlit	/z/	ד	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ዘ	Template:Semxlit	/ð/
Template:Semxlit [θ]	Template:Semxlit	ث	Template:ArabDIN [θ]		Template:Semxlit	שׁ	Template:Semxlit	/ʃ/	ת	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ሰ	Template:Semxlit	/θ/
Template:Semxlit [ðʼ]	Template:Semxlit	ظ	Template:ArabDIN [ðˁ] or [zˁ]		Template:Semxlit	צ	Template:Semxlit	/ts/	ט	Template:Semxlit	ጸ	Template:Semxlit	/θˁ/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	د	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ד	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/d/	ד	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ደ	Template:Semxlit	/d/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ت	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ת	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/t/	ת	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ተ	Template:Semxlit	/t/
Template:Semxlit [tˁ]	Template:Semxlit	ط	Template:ArabDIN [tˁ]		Template:Semxlit	ט	Template:Semxlit	/t/	ט	Template:Semxlit	ጠ	Template:Semxlit	/tˁ/
Template:Semxlit [ʃ]	Template:Semxlit	س	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	שׁ	Template:Semxlit	/ʃ/	שׁ	Template:Semxlit	ሰ	Template:Semxlit	/ʃ/, /h/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ز	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ז	Template:Semxlit	/z/	ז	Template:Semxlit	ዘ	Template:Semxlit	/z/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	س	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ס	Template:Semxlit	/s/	ס	Template:Semxlit	ሰ	Template:Semxlit	/s/
Template:Semxlit [sˁ]	Template:Semxlit	ص	Template:ArabDIN [sˁ]		Template:Semxlit	צ	Template:Semxlit	/ts/	צ	Template:Semxlit	ጸ	Template:Semxlit	/sˁ/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ل	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ל	Template:Semxlit	/l/	ל	Template:Semxlit	ለ	Template:Semxlit	/l/
Template:Semxlit [ɬ]	Template:Semxlit	ش	Template:ArabDIN [ʃ]		Template:Semxlit	שׂ	Template:Semxlit	/s/	שׂ	Template:Semxlit	ሠ	Template:Semxlit	/ɬ/
Template:Semxlit [ɬˁ]	Template:Semxlit	ض	Template:ArabDIN [ɮˁ]→[dˁ]		Template:Semxlit	צ	Template:Semxlit	/ts/	ע	Template:Semxlit	ፀ	Template:Semxlit	/ɬˁ/
Template:Semxlit [ɡ]	Template:Semxlit	ج	Template:ArabDIN [ɡʲ]→[ʤ]		Template:Semxlit	ג	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/ɡ/	ג	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ገ	Template:Semxlit	/ɡ/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ك	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	כ	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	/χ/, /k/	כ	Template:Semxlit/Template:Semxlit	ከ	Template:Semxlit	/k/
Template:Semxlit [kˁ]	Template:Semxlit	ق	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ק	Template:Semxlit	/k/	ק	Template:Semxlit	ቀ	Template:Semxlit	/q/
Template:Semxlit [ɣ]	-	غ	Template:ArabDIN [ɣ]		Template:Semxlit	ע	Template:Semxlit	/ʔ/, -	ע	Template:Semxlit	ዐ	Template:Semxlit	/ɣ/
Template:Semxlit [x]	Template:Semxlit	خ	Template:Semxlit [x]		Template:Semxlit	ח	Template:Semxlit	/χ/	ח	Template:Semxlit	ኀ	Template:Semxlit	/x/
Template:Semxlit [ʕ]	-	ع	Template:ArabDIN [ʕ]		Template:Semxlit	ע	Template:Semxlit	/ʔ/, -	ע	Template:Semxlit	ዐ	Template:Semxlit	/ʕ/
Template:Semxlit [ħ]	-	ح	Template:ArabDIN [ħ]		Template:Semxlit	ח	Template:Semxlit	/χ/	ח	Template:Semxlit	ሐ	Template:Semxlit	/ħ/
Template:Semxlit [ʔ]	-	ء	Template:ArabDIN [ʔ]		Template:Semxlit	א	Template:Semxlit	/ʔ/, -	א	Template:Semxlit	አ	Template:Semxlit	/ʔ/
Template:Semxlit	-	ه	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ה	Template:Semxlit	/h/, -	ה	Template:Semxlit	ሀ	Template:Semxlit	/h/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	م	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	מ	Template:Semxlit	/m/	מ	Template:Semxlit	መ	Template:Semxlit	/m/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ن	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	נ	Template:Semxlit	/n/	נ ר	Template:Semxlit Template:Semxlit	ነ	Template:Semxlit	/n/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	ر	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit	ר	Template:Semxlit	/ʁ/	ר	Template:Semxlit	ረ	Template:Semxlit	/r/
Template:Semxlit	Template:Semxlit	و	Template:ArabDIN		Template:Semxlit Template:Semxlit	ו י	Template:Semxlit Template:Semxlit	/v/ /j/	ו י	Template:Semxlit Template:Semxlit	ወ	Template:Semxlit	/w/
Template:Semxlit [j]	Template:Semxlit	ي	Template:ArabDIN [j]		Template:Semxlit	י	Template:Semxlit	/j/	י	Template:Semxlit	የ	Template:Semxlit	/j/
Proto-Semitic	Akkadian	Arabic		Phoenician		Hebrew		Modern Hebrew	Aramaic		Ge'ez		Modern South Arabian

Notes:

1. Arabic pronunciation is that of reconstructed Qur'anic Arabic of the 7th and 8th centuries CE. If the pronunciation of Modern Standard Arabic differs, this is indicated (for example, [ɡʲ]→[ʤ]).
2. Proto-Semitic Template:Semxlit appears to have merged with Template:Semxlit in Tiberian Hebrew, but is still distinguished graphically.
3. Biblical Hebrew as of the 3rd century BCE apparently still distinguished Template:Semxlit and Template:Semxlit (based on transcriptions in the Septuagint).
4. Although early Aramaic (pre-7th century BCE) had only 22 consonants in its alphabet, it apparently distinguished at least 27 of the original 29 Proto-Semitic phonemes, including Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit. This conclusion is based on the shifting representation of words etymologically containing these sounds; in early Aramaic writing, they are merged with Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, respectively, but later with Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit, Template:Semxlit.^[3]

References

• Burkhart Kienast, Historische semitische Sprachwissenschaft (2001).
• Proto Semitic Language and Culture - The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

See also

• List of Proto-Semitic stems
• History of the alphabet
• Afro-Asiatic languages
• Proto-Afro-Asiatic
• Proto-Indo-European language

External links

• Bartleby: American Heritage Dictionary: Semitic Roots Index