| West Semitic | |
|---|---|
| Levantic | |
| Geographic distribution | Middle East |
| Linguistic classification | Afro-Asiatic
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | west2786 |
TheWest Semitic languages are a proposed major sub-grouping ofSemitic languages. The term was first coined in 1883 byFritz Hommel.[1][2][3]
The grouping[4] supported bySemiticists likeRobert Hetzron andJohn Huehnergard divides the Semitic language family into two branches: Eastern and Western.[5]
The West Semitic languages consist of the clearly defined sub-groups:Arabic (includingMaltese),Ethiopic,Modern South Arabian,Old South Arabian, andNorthwest Semitic (this includingHebrew,Aramaic, and the extinctAmorite andUgaritic languages).[5]
TheEast Semitic languages, meanwhile, consist of theextinctEblaite andAkkadian languages.[6]
Ethiopic and South Arabian show particular common features, and are often grouped together asSouth Semitic.[5] The proper classification of Arabic with respect to otherSemitic languages is debated.[citation needed] In older classifications, it is grouped with the South Semitic languages.[7] However, Hetzron and Huehnergard connect it more closely with the Northwest Semitic languages, to formCentral Semitic.[5] Some Semiticists continue to argue for the older classification, based on the distinctive feature ofbroken plurals. Some linguists also argue thatEteocypriot was a Northwest Semitic language spoken in ancientCyprus.[citation needed]
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).
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