Origin of “Semitic” Languages

Origin of “Semitic” Languages PDF Author: Adel S. Bishtawi
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1481798979
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 492

Get Book Here

Book Description
From the author of the Origins of Arabic Numerals—a Natural History of Numbers, an AuthorHouse publication, and Natural Foundations of Arab Civilisation—Origins of Alphabets, Numeration, Numerals, Measurements, Weights, Litigation, and Money . . . Book of Origins Part II (in Arabic) Origin of Semitic Languages Introductory Etymological Study of the Prehistoric Ancestral Linguistic Nuclei and Monosyllables of Semitic Languages Primarily Based on Akkadian and Southern and Northern Arabic Adel S. Bishtawi The unity of what is traditionally called Semitic languages may be traced in the roots, in the inflections, and in the general features of the syntax. Almost a thousand years before the publication in 1781 of Repertorium fuer biblische und morgenlaendische Literatur, linguists studying certain features of Canaanite (Phoenician), Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic (?abaši) noted the interrelationship of these languages. Other studies pointed to a prehistoric ancestral origin for these and more than sixty other languages, first named Ursemitische and later Proto-Semitic. Research involving the history of the Arabic numerals established their prehistoric origin and confirmed a linguistic link between small numbers and small words. The scope and depth of the multilayered research were expanded in an attempt to identify the origin of Semitic languages and, probably, the origin of languages. It took more than two years to realise that the pioneering linguists of Arabic were not aware of the main building blocks of the language they treated and that the smaller biconsonantals, not triconsonantals as is widely believed, were the original roots of the Semitic languages. At one time in the remotest horizon of their history, the language consisted of a very limited number biconsonantals and monosyllabic root morphemes. Words expressing the basic needs of primitive man, such as water, food, hut, stone, danger, etc., could be several thousand years older than the oldest attested Semitic language (i.e., Akkadian) or several tens of thousands. Akkadian, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Arabic are formidable communicate tools, yet their biconsonantal roots, or linguistic nuclei, were found to be surprisingly small. Four hundred and thirty roots were identified in two categories, primaries and secondaries. Most are paired in units constituting the main body in the larger linguistic clusters, tens of which were listed and discussed in the Origin of Semitic Languages. With what could be the greatest linguistic secret in history now unveiled, other important surprises may follow. With careful etymological analysis of linguistic nuclei, many of which were adapted or borrowed from animals and ancient environment, the true origin of scores of biblical names and ancient locations can be more correctly identified. Moreover, new windows can be opened on the various aspects of early societies to provide what appears to be a sufficiently clear picture of the first steps on the long road to civilisation and, probably, human consciousness.

Origin of “Semitic” Languages

Origin of “Semitic” Languages PDF Author: Adel S. Bishtawi
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1481798979
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 492

Get Book Here

Book Description
From the author of the Origins of Arabic Numerals—a Natural History of Numbers, an AuthorHouse publication, and Natural Foundations of Arab Civilisation—Origins of Alphabets, Numeration, Numerals, Measurements, Weights, Litigation, and Money . . . Book of Origins Part II (in Arabic) Origin of Semitic Languages Introductory Etymological Study of the Prehistoric Ancestral Linguistic Nuclei and Monosyllables of Semitic Languages Primarily Based on Akkadian and Southern and Northern Arabic Adel S. Bishtawi The unity of what is traditionally called Semitic languages may be traced in the roots, in the inflections, and in the general features of the syntax. Almost a thousand years before the publication in 1781 of Repertorium fuer biblische und morgenlaendische Literatur, linguists studying certain features of Canaanite (Phoenician), Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic (?abaši) noted the interrelationship of these languages. Other studies pointed to a prehistoric ancestral origin for these and more than sixty other languages, first named Ursemitische and later Proto-Semitic. Research involving the history of the Arabic numerals established their prehistoric origin and confirmed a linguistic link between small numbers and small words. The scope and depth of the multilayered research were expanded in an attempt to identify the origin of Semitic languages and, probably, the origin of languages. It took more than two years to realise that the pioneering linguists of Arabic were not aware of the main building blocks of the language they treated and that the smaller biconsonantals, not triconsonantals as is widely believed, were the original roots of the Semitic languages. At one time in the remotest horizon of their history, the language consisted of a very limited number biconsonantals and monosyllabic root morphemes. Words expressing the basic needs of primitive man, such as water, food, hut, stone, danger, etc., could be several thousand years older than the oldest attested Semitic language (i.e., Akkadian) or several tens of thousands. Akkadian, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Arabic are formidable communicate tools, yet their biconsonantal roots, or linguistic nuclei, were found to be surprisingly small. Four hundred and thirty roots were identified in two categories, primaries and secondaries. Most are paired in units constituting the main body in the larger linguistic clusters, tens of which were listed and discussed in the Origin of Semitic Languages. With what could be the greatest linguistic secret in history now unveiled, other important surprises may follow. With careful etymological analysis of linguistic nuclei, many of which were adapted or borrowed from animals and ancient environment, the true origin of scores of biblical names and ancient locations can be more correctly identified. Moreover, new windows can be opened on the various aspects of early societies to provide what appears to be a sufficiently clear picture of the first steps on the long road to civilisation and, probably, human consciousness.

Semitic Languages

Semitic Languages PDF Author: Edward Lipiński
Publisher: Peeters Publishers
ISBN: 9789042908154
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 792

Get Book Here

Book Description
The first comparative grammar of the Semitic languages, by H. Zimmern, was published a hundred years ago and the last original work of this kind was issued in Russian in 1972 by B.M. Grande. The present grammar, designed to come out in the centenary of the completion of Zimmern's work, fills thus a gap. Besides, it is based on both classical and modern Semitic languages, it takes new material of these last decades into account, and situates the Semitic languages in the wider context of Afro-Asiatic. The introduction briefly presents the languages in question. The main parts of the work are devoted to phonology, morphology, and syntax, with elaborate charts and diagrams. Then follows a discussion of fundamental questions related to lexicographical analysis. The study is supplemented by a glossary of linguistic terms used in Semitics, by a selective bibliography, by a general index, and by an index of words and forms. The book is the result of twenty-five years of research and teaching in comparative Semitic grammar.

Philosophy of Linguistics

Philosophy of Linguistics PDF Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080930875
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 595

Get Book Here

Book Description
Philosophy of Linguistics investigates the foundational concepts and methods of linguistics, the scientific study of human language. This groundbreaking collection, the most thorough treatment of the philosophy of linguistics ever published, brings together philosophers, scientists and historians to map out both the foundational assumptions set during the second half of the last century and the unfolding shifts in perspective in which more functionalist perspectives are explored. The opening chapter lays out the philosophical background in preparation for the papers that follow, which demonstrate the shift in the perspective of linguistics study through discussions of syntax, semantics, phonology and cognitive science more generally. The volume serves as a detailed introduction for those new to the field as well as a rich source of new insights and potential research agendas for those already engaged with the philosophy of linguistics. Part of the Handbook of the Philosophy of Science series edited by: Dov M. Gabbay, King's College, London, UK;Paul Thagard, University of Waterloo, Canada; and John Woods, University of British Columbia, Canada. - Provides a bridge between philosophy and current scientific findings - Encourages multi-disciplinary dialogue - Covers theory and applications

The Philistines and Other Sea Peoples in Text and Archaeology

The Philistines and Other Sea Peoples in Text and Archaeology PDF Author: Ann E. Killebrew
Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit
ISBN: 1589837215
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 773

Get Book Here

Book Description
The search for the biblical Philistines, one of ancient Israel’s most storied enemies, has long intrigued both scholars and the public. Archaeological and textual evidence examined in its broader eastern Mediterranean context reveals that the Philistines, well-known from biblical and extrabiblical texts, together with other related groups of “Sea Peoples,” played a transformative role in the development of new ethnic groups and polities that emerged from the ruins of the Late Bronze Age empires. The essays in this book, representing recent research in the fields of archaeology, Bible, and history, reassess the origins, identity, material culture, and impact of the Philistines and other Sea Peoples on the Iron Age cultures and peoples of the eastern Mediterranean. The contributors are Matthew J. Adams, Michal Artzy, Tristan J. Barako, David Ben-Shlomo, Mario Benzi, Margaret E. Cohen, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Trude Dothan, Elizabeth French, Marie-Henriette Gates, Hermann Genz, Ayelet Gilboa, Maria Iacovou, Ann E. Killebrew, Sabine Laemmel, Gunnar Lehmann, Aren M. Maeir, Amihai Mazar, Linda Meiberg, Penelope A. Mountjoy, Hermann Michael Niemann, Jeremy B. Rutter, Ilan Sharon, Susan Sherratt, Neil Asher Silberman, and Itamar Singer.

A History of the Hebrew Language

A History of the Hebrew Language PDF Author: Angel Sáenz-Badillos
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521556347
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book is a comprehensive description of Hebrew from its Semitic origins and the earliest settlement of the Israelite tribes in Canaan to the present day.

The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Typology

The Cambridge Handbook of Linguistic Typology PDF Author: Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316790665
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 1661

Get Book Here

Book Description
Linguistic typology identifies both how languages vary and what they all have in common. This Handbook provides a state-of-the art survey of the aims and methods of linguistic typology, and the conclusions we can draw from them. Part I covers phonological typology, morphological typology, sociolinguistic typology and the relationships between typology, historical linguistics and grammaticalization. It also addresses typological features of mixed languages, creole languages, sign languages and secret languages. Part II features contributions on the typology of morphological processes, noun categorization devices, negation, frustrative modality, logophoricity, switch reference and motion events. Finally, Part III focuses on typological profiles of the mainland South Asia area, Australia, Quechuan and Aymaran, Eskimo-Aleut, Iroquoian, the Kampa subgroup of Arawak, Omotic, Semitic, Dravidian, the Oceanic subgroup of Austronesian and the Awuyu-Ndumut family (in West Papua). Uniting the expertise of a stellar selection of scholars, this Handbook highlights linguistic typology as a major discipline within the field of linguistics.

Studies in Semitic Philology

Studies in Semitic Philology PDF Author: M.M. Bravmann
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004348182
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 609

Get Book Here

Book Description
Preliminary Material /M. M. BRAVMANN -- PREFACE /M. M. BRAVMANN -- PHONOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE VOWEL I AS AN AUXILIARY VOWEL /M. M. BRAVMANN -- A PHONETIC LAW IN THE JUDEO-ARABIC DIALECT OF BAGHDAD /M. M. BRAVMANN -- SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEMITIC DIPHTHONGS /M. M. BRAVMANN -- BI-CONSONANTAL NOUNS OF ROOTS III W ('AB, 'AḪ, ḤAM) /M. M. BRAVMANN -- A CASE OF QUANTITATIVE ABLAUT IN SEMITIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ON TWO CASES OF CONSONANT CHANGE IN MODERN ARABIC DIALECTS /M. M. BRAVMANN -- HEBREW ŠTAYIM ('TWO'), SYRIAC ŠTĀ ('SIX') AND A TURKIC ANALOGUE /M. M. BRAVMANN -- CONCERNING THE BORDER-LINE BETWEEN CONSONANT AND VOWEL /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE HEBREW PERFECT FORMS: QĀṬELĀ, QĀṬELŪ /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE 3RD PERS. SING. FEM. OF THE PERFECT OF ROOTS III Y/W IN ARABIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ARAMAIC NOMEN AGENTIS QĀTŌL AND SOME SIMILAR PHENOMENA OF ARABIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE PLURAL ENDING -ŪT- OF MASCULINE ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES IN AKKADIAN /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ORIGIN OF SOME ARABIC PRONOUNS /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE FORMS OF THE IMPERATIVE (AND JUSSIVE) IN THE SEMITIC LANGUAGES /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE SEMITIC CAUSATIVE-PREFIX Š/SA /M. M. BRAVMANN -- SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC STUDIES /M. M. BRAVMANN -- GENETIC ASPECTS OF THE GENITIVE IN THE SEMITIC LANGUAGES /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE SYNTACTIC BACKGROUND OF SEMITIC NOUNS WITH PREFIX MA- AND OF PARTICIPLES WITH PREFIX MU- /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE INFINITIVE IN THE FUNCTION OF “PSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICATE” IN SYRIAC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE EXPRESSION OF INSTANTANEOUSNESS IN ARABIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- SOME SPECIFIC FORMS OF HYPOTAXIS IN ANCIENT ARABIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- SYRIAC DALMĀ “LEST”, “PERHAPS” AND SOME RELATED ARABIC PHENOMENA /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ARABIC LĀKIN(NA) AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ORIGIN OF ARABIC BA'DA “AFTER” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- AN ARABIC SENTENCE-TYPE EXPRESSING “INNER COMPULSION” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE IDEA OF “POSSESSION” IN LINGUISTIC EXPRESSION /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ARABIC PARALLELS TO THE ENGLISH PHRASE /M. M. BRAVMANN -- EXPRESSIONS BASED ON THE NOUN YAWM- “DAY” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ARABIC ASLAMA (ISLĀM) AND RELATED TERMS /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ORIGIN OF THE PRINCIPLE OF 'IṢMAH: MUḤAMMAD'S “IMMUNITY FROM SIN” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE “COMPLETION” OR “IMPROVEMENT” OF A LAUDABLE DEED: AN ANCIENT ARAB ETHICAL MOTIF /M. M. BRAVMANN -- SEMITIC INSTANCES OF “LINGUISTIC TABOO” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ONOMATOPOETIC ORIGIN OF SOME TERMS FOR THE CONCEPT “SUDDEN” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- “SATISFYING” AND “RESTRAINING”: ARABIC KAFĀ (KFY) > KAFFA /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ARABIC MA'TAM “MOURNING ASSEMBLY” AND RELATED ETYMA /M. M. BRAVMANN -- AKKADIAN KIPRU( M), PL. KIPRĀTU( M) AND ETHIOPIC KANFAR /M. M. BRAVMANN -- ARAMAIC MESAR, NEO-HEBRAIC MĀSAR “TO SURRENDER (SOMEONE) ” /M. M. BRAVMANN -- AN ARABIC PARALLEL TO BENEDICERE /M. M. BRAVMANN -- NORTH-SEMITIC ḤAYYĪM/N “LIFE” IN THE LIGHT OF ARABIC /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT “THE TREASURE OF LIFE” AND ITS SURVIVAL IN MANDAEAN AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES /M. M. BRAVMANN -- THE ROOT HWY “TO BE”, A PROTO-SEMITIC VERB /M. M. BRAVMANN.

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages PDF Author: Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111919329X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 560

Get Book Here

Book Description
Covers the major languages, language families, and writing systems attested in the Ancient Near East Filled with enlightening chapters by noted experts in the field, this book introduces Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) languages and language families used during the time period of roughly 3200 BCE to the second century CE in the areas of Egypt, the Levant, eastern Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran. In addition to providing grammatical sketches of the respective languages, the book focuses on socio-linguistic questions such as language contact, diglossia, the development of literary standard languages, and the development of diplomatic languages or “linguae francae.” It also addresses the interaction of Ancient Near Eastern languages with each other and their roles within the political and cultural systems of ANE societies. Presented in five parts, The Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages provides readers with in-depth chapter coverage of the writing systems of ANE, starting with their decipherment. It looks at the emergence of cuneiform writing; the development of Egyptian writing in the fourth and early third millennium BCI; and the emergence of alphabetic scripts. The book also covers many of the individual languages themselves, including Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Pre- and Post-Exilic Hebrew, Phoenician, Ancient South Arabian, and more. Provides an overview of all major language families and writing systems used in the Ancient Near East during the time period from the beginning of writing (approximately 3200 BCE) to the second century CE (end of cuneiform writing) Addresses how the individual languages interacted with each other and how they functioned in the societies that used them Written by leading experts on the languages and topics The Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Languages is an ideal book for undergraduate students and scholars interested in Ancient Near Eastern cultures and languages or certain aspects of these languages.

History of the Akkadian Language (2 vols)

History of the Akkadian Language (2 vols) PDF Author: Juan-Pablo Vita
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004445218
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 1677

Get Book Here

Book Description
Akkadian is, after Sumerian, the second oldest language attested in the Ancient Near East, as well as the oldest known Semitic language. It is also a language with one of history’s longest written records. And yet, unlike other relevant languages written over a long period of time, there has been no volume dedicated to its own history. The aim of the present work is to fill that void. The outcome is presented in 26 chapters written by 25 leading authors and divided into two volumes, the first covering the linguistic background and early periods and the second covering the second and first millennia BCE as well as its afterlife.

The Origin of Amharic

The Origin of Amharic PDF Author: Girma A. Demeke
Publisher: Red Sea Press(NJ)
ISBN: 9781569023792
Category : Amharic language
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Get Book Here

Book Description
"The first edition of this book was published first in 2009 in Addis Ababa by the French Center for Ethiopian Studies and later in the same year (with minor editing) in Germany by LINCOM Europa Academic publishers."--Preface.