Semitic languages

14th century BC diplomatic letter in Akkadian , found in Amarna . The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 467 million people across much of the Middle East , North Africa and the Horn of Africa . They constitute a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. The most widely spoken Semitic language by far today is Arabic (206 million native speakers). It is followed by Amharic (27 million), Tigrinya (5.8 million), and Hebrew (about 5 million). Semitic languages are attested in written form from a very early date, with texts in Eblaite and Akkadian appearing from around the middle of the third millennium BC, written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform . The other scripts used to write Semitic languages are alphabetic . Among them are the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , South Arabian , and Ge'ez alphabets . Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet and the only official Semitic language of the European Union . Ethnologue report for language code:arb 1994 Ethiopian census Amharic alphabet, pronunciation and language Ethnologue report for language code:tir Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition.

14th century BC diplomatic letter in Akkadian , found in Amarna , Egypt . The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family originating in the Middle East . Semitic languages are spoken by more than 470 million people across much of Western Asia , North Africa and the Horn of Africa , as well as in large expatriate communities in North America and Europe . The terminology was first used in the 1780s by German orientalists von Schlözer and Eichhorn , who derived the name from Shem , one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis . The most widely spoken Semitic languages today are (numbers given are for native speakers only) Arabic (300 million), Amharic (22 million), Tigrinya (7 million), and Hebrew (unknown; 5 million native and non-native L1 speakers). Semitic languages are attested in written form from a very early date, with Akkadian and Eblaite texts (written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform ) appearing from around the middle of the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia and the northern Levant respectively. However, most scripts used to write Semitic languages are abjads —a type of alphabetic script that omits some or all of the vowels, which is feasible for these languages because the consonants in the Semitic languages are the primary carriers of meaning. Among them are the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , and South Arabian alphabets. The Ge'ez alphabet , used for writing the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea , is technically an abugida —a modified abjad in which vowels are notated using diacritic marks added to the consonants at all times, in contrast with other Semitic languages which indicate diacritics based on need or for introductory purposes. Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and the only official Semitic language of the European Union . The Semitic languages are notable for their nonconcatenative morphology . That is, word roots are not themselves syllables or words, but instead are isolated sets of consonants (usually three, making a so-called triliteral root ). Words are composed out of roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes, but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants (although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well). From this root, words are formed by filling in the vowels and sometimes adding additional consonants, e.g. k i t ā b "book", k u t u b "books", k ā t i b "writer", k u tt ā b "writers", k a t a b a "he wrote", ya kt u b u "he writes", etc. The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics . Amharic at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Tigrinya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Modern Hebrew at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

branch of the Afroasiatic language family native to the Middle East The Semitic languages , previously also named Syro-Arabian languages , are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family originating in the Middle East that are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of Western Asia , North Africa and the Horn of Africa , as well as in often large immigrant and expatriate communities in North America , Europe and Australasia . The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen School of History , who derived the name from Shem , one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis . The most widely spoken Semitic languages today are (numbers given are for native speakers only) Arabic (300 million), Amharic (~65 million), Tigrinya (7 million), Hebrew (~5 million native/ L1 speakers), Tigre (~1.05 million), Aramaic (575,000 to 1 million largely Assyrian fluent speakers) and Maltese (483,000 speakers). Semitic languages occur in written form from a very early historical date, with East Semitic Akkadian and Eblaite texts (written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform ) appearing from the 30th century BCE and the 25th century BCE in Mesopotamia and the northern Levant respectively. The only earlier attested languages are Sumerian , Elamite (2800 BCE to 550 BCE) (both language isolates ), Egyptian and unclassified Lullubi from the 30th century BCE. Most scripts used to write Semitic languages are abjads – a type of alphabetic script that omits some or all of the vowels, which is feasible for these languages because the consonants in the Semitic languages are the primary carriers of meaning. Among them are the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , and South Arabian alphabets. The Ge'ez script , used for writing the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea , is technically an abugida – a modified abjad in which vowels are notated using diacritic marks added to the consonants at all times, in contrast with other Semitic languages which indicate diacritics based on need or for introductory purposes. Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and the only Semitic language to be an official language of the European Union . The Semitic languages are notable for their nonconcatenative morphology . That is, word roots are not themselves syllables or words, but instead are isolated sets of consonants (usually three, making a so-called triliteral root ). Words are composed out of roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes, but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants (although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well). From this root, words are formed by filling in the vowels and sometimes adding additional consonants, e.g. كتاب k i t ā b "book", كتب k u t u b "books", كاتب k ā t i b "writer", كتّاب k u tt ā b "writers", كتب k a t a b a "he wrote", يكتب ya kt u b u "he writes", etc. Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual . Australian Bureau of Statistics . "Sydney (Urban Centre/Locality)" . 2006 Census QuickStats . The Oxford Handbook of Arabic Linguistics . Amharic at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Tigrinya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Gurage (~7 million) Modern Hebrew at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Jump up to: a b Assyrian Neo-Aramaic at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) Chaldean Neo-Aramaic at Ethnologue (14th ed., 2000).

Branch of the Afroasiatic languages Not to be confused with Sinitic languages . The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family . They include Arabic , Amharic , Hebrew , and numerous other ancient and modern languages. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia , the Horn of Africa , and latterly North Africa , Malta , West Africa , Chad , and in large immigrant and expatriate communities in North America , Europe , and Australasia . The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen school of history , who derived the name from Shem , one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis . Semitic languages occur in written form from a very early historical date in West Asia, with East Semitic Akkadian and Eblaite texts (written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform ) appearing from the 30th century BCE and the 25th century BCE in Mesopotamia and the north eastern Levant respectively. The only earlier attested languages are Sumerian and Elamite (2800 BCE to 550 BCE), both language isolates , and Egyptian (3000 BCE), a sister branch of the Afroasiatic family, related to the Semitic languages but not part of them. Amorite appeared in Mesopotamia and the northern Levant circa 2000 BC, followed by the mutually intelligible Canaanite languages (including Hebrew, Phoenician, Moabite, Edomite and Ammonite, and perhaps Ekronite, Amalekite and Sutean), the still spoken Aramaic , and Ugaritic during the 2nd millennium BC. Most scripts used to write Semitic languages are abjads – a type of alphabetic script that omits some or all of the vowels, which is feasible for these languages because the consonants are the primary carriers of meaning in the Semitic languages. These include the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , and ancient South Arabian alphabets. The Geʽez script , used for writing the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea , is technically an abugida – a modified abjad in which vowels are notated using diacritic marks added to the consonants at all times, in contrast with other Semitic languages which indicate vowels based on need or for introductory purposes. Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and the only Semitic language to be an official language of the European Union . The Semitic languages are notable for their nonconcatenative morphology . That is, word roots are not themselves syllables or words, but instead are isolated sets of consonants (usually three, making a so-called triliteral root ). Words are composed out of roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes, but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants, although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well. From this root, words are formed by filling in the vowels and sometimes adding consonants, e.g. كِتاب k i t ā b "book", كُتُب k u t u b "books", كاتِب k ā t i b "writer", كُتّاب k u tt ā b "writers", كَتَب k a t a b a "he wrote", يكتُب ya kt u b u "he writes", etc.

Branch of the Afroasiatic languages Not to be confused with Sinitic languages . The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family . They include Arabic , Amharic , Tigrinya , Aramaic , Hebrew , Maltese , Modern South Arabian languages and numerous other ancient and modern languages. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia , North Africa , the Horn of Africa , Malta , and in large immigrant and expatriate communities in North America , Europe , and Australasia . The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen school of history , who derived the name from Shem , one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis . Semitic languages occur in written form from a very early historical date in West Asia , with East Semitic Akkadian (also known as Assyrian and Babylonian ) and Eblaite texts (written in a script adapted from Sumerian cuneiform ) appearing from c. 2600 BCE in Mesopotamia and the northeastern Levant respectively. The only earlier attested languages are Sumerian and Elamite (2800 BCE to 550 BCE), both language isolates , and Egyptian ( c. 3000 BCE ), a sister branch within the Afroasiatic family, related to the Semitic languages but not part of them. Amorite appeared in Mesopotamia and the northern Levant c. 2100 BC , followed by the mutually intelligible Canaanite languages (including Hebrew, Phoenician, Moabite, Edomite, and Ammonite, and perhaps Ekronite, Amalekite and Sutean), the still spoken Aramaic , and Ugaritic during the 2nd millennium BC. Most scripts used to write Semitic languages are abjads – a type of alphabetic script that omits some or all of the vowels, which is feasible for these languages because the consonants are the primary carriers of meaning in the Semitic languages. These include the Ugaritic , Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac , Arabic , and ancient South Arabian alphabets. The Geʽez script , used for writing the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea , is technically an abugida – a modified abjad in which vowels are notated using diacritic marks added to the consonants at all times, in contrast with other Semitic languages which indicate vowels based on need or for introductory purposes. Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin script and the only Semitic language to be an official language of the European Union . The Semitic languages are notable for their nonconcatenative morphology . That is, word roots are not themselves syllables or words, but instead are isolated sets of consonants (usually three, making a so-called triliteral root ). Words are composed from roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes, but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants, although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well. From this root, words are formed by filling in the vowels and sometimes adding consonants, e.g. كِتاب k i t ā b "book", كُتُب k u t u b "books", كاتِب k ā t i b "writer", كُتّاب k u tt ā b "writers", كَتَب k a t a b a "he wrote", يكتُب ya kt u b u "he writes", etc.