The Subgrouping of the Semitic Languages

For an extended period, the Semitics have benefited from the study of cultural languages, as it forms one of the world languages most studied to date. Due to continued research, our knowledge of both the modern and ancient languages impacts our understanding of the Semitic family internal subgroupings. The contemporary model of Sematic family subgrouping is predominantly founded on Robert Hetzron (Rubin, 61). However, within the last two decades, Semitists from multiple subfields have enhanced Hetzrons model.

One of the subgroupings of the Semitic languages includes East and West Sematic. The east Sematic consists of the dialects of Elbaite and Akkadian. The division has been uncontroversial for almost a century. The west is distinguished from the east Sematic by introducing the handed down stative (qatala) to past tense, while the handed down past tense (yaqtul) has been lost. Another subgroup is the East Sematic and Eblaite, where the Eblaite represents the ancient language of Ebla, currently known as Tell Mardikh, found at the south of Aleppo, Syria (Rubin, 62). Due to the style of cuneiform writing used...

It is divided into two huge dialects, Babylonian and Assyrian. The old Babylonian language...…Hebrew, Aramaic has never stopped being a spoken living language.

Also, Ugaritic as a subgroup of the Sematic family was discovered in 1929. By 1930, it was argued that Ugaritic should be treated a Canaanite dialect, a position that still has some support to date. Samalian and Deir Alla are also a subgroup of the Semitic family. Samalian is the dialect of three important inscriptions from old Samal, current Zinjirli from southeastern Turkey (Naama Pat-El, 12). Some consider this language Aramaic, though others consider it a branch of Northwest Sematic (Rubin, 68). Finally, is the Modern South Arabian subgroup of the Sematic family. It is the general term for six languages spoken in western Oman, Kuria Maria and Sogotra, and…