West Semitic languages

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West Semitic
Geographic
distribution		Middle East
Linguistic classificationAfro-Asiatic
Subdivisions
Glottologwest2786

The West Semitic languages are a proposed major sub-grouping of ancient Semitic languages. The term was first coined in 1883 by Fritz Hommel.[1][2][3]

The grouping[4] supported by Semiticists like Robert Hetzron and John Huehnergard divides the Semitic language family into two branches: Eastern and Western.[5]

The West Semitic languages consist of the clearly defined sub-groups:

Ugaritic languages).[5]

The East Semitic languages, meanwhile, consist of the extinct Eblaite and Akkadian languages.[6]

Ethiopic and South Arabian show particular common features, and are often grouped together as

Eteocypriot was a Northwest Semitic language spoken in ancient Cyprus.[citation needed
]

References

  1. ^ The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook, Chapter V, page 425
  2. doi:10.1111/j.1749-818x.2007.00044.x
    . P. Haupt (1878) first recognized that the qatala past tense found in West Semitic was an innovation, and that the Akkadian prefixed past tense must be archaic. It was F. Hommel, however, who recognized the implications of this for the subgrouping of Semitic; cf. Hommel(1883: 63, 442; 1892: 92–97; 1926: 75–82).
  3. ^ Fritz Hommel, Die semitischen Volker und Sprachen als erster Versuch einer Encyclopadie der semitischen Sprach- und Alterthums-Wissenschaft, (1883)
  4. ISBN 9004093176
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-136-11580-6
    .
  6. ISBN 978-3-11-025158-6
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-136-11580-6
    .

Sources

  • Alice Faber, "Genetic Subgrouping of the Semitic Languages", in Hetzron, ed., 2013, The Semitic Languages, Routledge.

External links


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