Semitic languages

The term Semitic languages refers to the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, the only one spoken in Asia.

The most common Semitic languages spoken today are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew, and Tigrinya.

The term "Semitic" for these language is etymologically a misnomer in some ways (see Semitic), but is the standard term in linguistics.

The Eastern Semitic Languages

• Akkadian language -- extinct

Controversial (either East Semitic or Northwest Semitic): Eblaite language -- extinct

The Central Semitic languages

Northwest Semitic languages

• Canaanite languages
  • Hebrew language
  • Moabite language -- extinct
  • Edomite language -- extinct
  • Ammonite language -- extinct
  • Phoenician languages (including the later Punic) -- extinct
• Aramaic language
  • Syriac language
  • Mandaic language
• Ugaritic language -- extinct
• Amorite language -- extinct (attested only from proper names transcribed in Akkadian; may effectively be the parent language of Northwest Semitic, or even predate the split of Central Semitic.)

South Central (Arabic) languages

• Arabic language
• Maltese language

The South Semitic languages

Western (within South Semitic)

• Ethiopic languages
  • North
    • Tigrinya language
    • Tigre language
    • Ge'ez language -- extinct
  • South
    • Transverse
      • Amharic language
      • Argobba language
      • Harari language
      • East Gurage languages
        • Selti language
        • Wolane language
        • Zway language
        • Ulbare language
        • Inneqor language
    • Outer
      • Soddo language
      • Goggot language
      • Muher language
      • West Gurage languages
        • Masqan language
        • Ezha language
        • Gura language
        • Gyeto language
        • Ennemor language
        • Endegen language
• Old South Arabian -- extinct
  • Sabaean language -- extinct
  • Minaean language -- extinct
  • Qatabanian language -- extinct
  • Hadhramautic languages -- extinct

Eastern (within South Semitic)

• Soqotri language
• Mehri language
• Jibbali language
• Harsusi language
• Bathari language
• Hobyot language

Common characteristics

These languages all exhibit a pattern of words consisting of triconsonantal roots, with vowel changes, prefixes, and suffixes used to inflect them. For instance, in Hebrew:

gdl means "big" but is no part of speech and not a word, just a root

gadol means "big" and is an masculine adjective

gdola means "big" (feminine adjective)

giddel means "he grew" (transitive verb)

gadal means "he grew" (intransitive verb)

higdil means "he magnified" (transitive verb)

magdelet means "magnifier" (lens)

spr is the root for "count" or "recount"

sefer means "book" (containing tales which are recounted)

sofer means "scribe" (Masoretic scribes counted verses)

mispar means "number".

Many roots are shared among more than one Semitic language. For example, the root ktb, a root signifying writing, exists in both Hebrew and Arabic ("he wrote" is rendered in Hebrew katav and in Classical Arabic kataba).

The following list will provide some equivalent words in Semitic languages.

Sometimes certain roots differ in meaning from one Semitic language to another. For example, the root b-y-ḍ in Arabic has the meaning of "white" as well as "egg", whereas in Hebrew it only means "egg". The root l-b-n means "milk" in Arabic, but the color "white" in Hebrew.

Of course, there is sometimes no relation between the roots. For example, "knowledge" is represented in Hebrew by the root y-d-ʿ but in Arabic by the roots ʿ-r-f and ʿ-l-m.

Other Afro-Asiatic languages show similar patterns, but more usually with biconsonantal roots; e.g. in Kabyle afeg means "fly!", while affug means "flight", and yufeg means "he flew".