Product Description

The Semitic languages are a family of languages spoken by more than 370 million people across much of the Middle East, where they probably originated, and North and East Africa. They constitute the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, and the only branch of this group spoken in Asia.
The most widely spoken Semitic language today is Arabic (206 million speakers), followed by Amharic (27 million speakers), Hebrew (7.5 million speakers), and Tigrinya (6.75 million speakers). Semitic languages were among the earliest to attain a written form, with Akkadian writing beginning in the middle of the third millennium BC. The term "Semitic" for these languages, after Shem son of Noah, is etymologically a misnomer in some ways, but is nonetheless standard.


This is the first general survey of the Semitic languages, including the Arab and Aramaic dialects and various languages of Ethiopia.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176827 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 572 pages

Customer Reviews

Best Overview of the Semitic Languages
This is a collection of concise summaries of the major features of the major Semitic languages, and is quite well done. The authors are at the top of their fields. This is indispensible tool for anyone with a scholarly or amateur interest in the Semitic languages.