Western Semitic languages

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The West Semitic languages form one of two main branches of the Semitic languages alongside the East Semitic languages . All Semitic languages ​​except Akkadian and Eblaite belong to it. The more precise subdivision of the Western Semitic languages ​​has not been conclusively clarified (see Classification of Semitic Languages ).

The most important common innovation that the West Semitic languages ​​have compared to the East Semitic languages ​​is the use of the suffix conjugation to express the perfect tense (e.g. Arabic waladat "she gave birth to (a child)"). In Eastern Semitic, on the other hand, the tripod expressing a state is formed in the same way - probably in line with the primordial Semitic (e.g. Akkadian waldat "she is born").

literature

  • Alice Faber: Genetic Subgrouping of the Semitic Languages . In: Robert Hetzron (Ed.): The Semitic Languages . Routledge, London 1997. pp. 3-15.