The West Semitic languages are a proposed major sub-grouping of ancient

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. 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 immigra ...

. The term was first coined in 1883 by

Fritz Hommel Fritz Hommel (31 July 1854 – 17 April 1936) was a German Orientalist. Biography Hommel was born in Ansbach. He studied in Leipzig and was habilitated in 1877 in Munich, where in 1885, he became an extraordinary professor of Semitic languag ...

.The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook, Chapter V
page 425 The grouping, supported by Semiticists like

Robert Hetzron Robert Hetzron, born Herzog (31 December 1937, Budapest – 12 August 1997, Santa Barbara, California), was a Hungarian-born linguist known for his work on the comparative study of Afro-Asiatic languages, as well as for his study of Cushitic ...

and

John Huehnergard John Huehnergard (born March 16, 1952) is a Canadian-American specialist in Semitic languages, notable for his work on categorization, etymology, and historical linguistics. Early life and education Huehnergard was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Can ...

, divides the Semitic language family into two branches: Eastern and Western. The West Semitic languages consist of the clearly defined sub-groups: Modern South Arabian languages, Modern South Arabian, Old South Arabian, Ethiopic languages, Ethiopic, Arabic language, Arabic, and Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic (this including Hebrew language, Hebrew, Aramaic language, Aramaic, and the extinct Amorite language, Amorite and Ugaritic language, Ugaritic languages). The East Semitic languages, meanwhile, consist of the extinct language, extinct Eblaite language, Eblaite and Akkadian language, Akkadian languages. Ethiopic and South Arabian show particular common features, and are often grouped together as South Semitic languages, South Semitic. The proper classification of Arabic with respect to other

is debated. In older classifications, it is grouped with the South Semitic languages. However, Hetzron and Huehnergard connect it more closely with the Northwest Semitic languages, to form Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic. Some Semiticists continue to argue for the older classification, based on the distinctive feature of broken plurals. Some linguists also argue that Eteocypriot was a Northwest Semitic language spoken in ancient Cyprus.

References

Sources

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

External links

* West Semitic languages, 1883 introductions 1880s neologisms Semitic languages {{Semitic-lang-stub