Central Semitic languages

E4742
Semitic languages subgroup branch of language family

Central Semitic languages are a major branch of the Semitic language family that includes Arabic and several closely related languages of the Middle East.

Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Central Semitic 3
Proto-Central Semitic 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Semitic languages subgroup ⓘ
branch of language family ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Central Semitic languages ⓘ
surface form: Central Semitic

Northwest Semitic ⓘ
surface form: Northwest–Arabic Semitic
distinguishedFrom East Semitic languages ⓘ
South Semitic languages ⓘ
geographicDistribution Arabian Peninsula ⓘ
Horn of Africa ⓘ
Eastern Mediterranean ⓘ
surface form: Levant

Middle East ⓘ
North Africa ⓘ
hasCharacteristic shares innovations in phonology ⓘ
shares innovations in pronominal system ⓘ
shares innovations in verbal morphology ⓘ
hasInfluenceOn Islamic religious vocabulary ⓘ
Jewish religious vocabulary ⓘ
hasMajorSubgroup Arabic languages ⓘ
Northwest Semitic languages ⓘ
hasProtoLanguage Central Semitic languages self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Proto-Central Semitic
hasSubgroup Arabic branch ⓘ
Northwest Semitic ⓘ
surface form: Northwest Semitic branch
includesLanguage Ammonite ⓘ
Arabic ⓘ
Aramaic ⓘ
Hebrew ⓘ
surface form: Biblical Hebrew

Classical Arabic ⓘ
Aramaic ⓘ
surface form: Eastern Aramaic

Edomite ⓘ
Hebrew ⓘ
Aramaic ⓘ
surface form: Imperial Aramaic

Moabite ⓘ
Hebrew ⓘ
surface form: Modern Hebrew

Modern Standard Arabic ⓘ
Old South Arabian ⓘ
Phoenician ⓘ
Samalian ⓘ
Ugaritic ⓘ
Northwest Semitic ⓘ
surface form: Western Aramaic
partOf Afroasiatic languages ⓘ
reconstructedFrom comparative method in Semitic linguistics ⓘ
sharesFeatureWith root-and-pattern morphology ⓘ
triconsonantal lexical roots ⓘ
use of broken plurals in many varieties ⓘ
subclassOf Semitic languages ⓘ
timeDepth attested since at least the late 2nd millennium BCE ⓘ
writingSystemUsed Arabic script ⓘ
Aramaic alphabet (historically) ⓘ
Hebrew alphabet ⓘ
Phoenician alphabet (historically) ⓘ

Referenced by (26)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Central Semitic languages → alsoKnownAs → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
this entity surface form: Central Semitic
South Semitic languages → contrastedWith → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Central Semitic languages → hasProtoLanguage → Central Semitic languages self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Proto-Central Semitic
Semitic languages → hasSubfamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Arabs → languageBranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Faifi Arabic → languageFamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Hijazi Arabic → languageFamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Shami Arabic → languageFamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Tihami Arabic → languageFamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Yafiʿi Arabic → languageFamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Najdi Arabic → languageGroup → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Chadian Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Classical Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Gulf Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Maghrebi Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Modern Standard Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Old Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
this entity surface form: Central Semitic
Oran Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Yemeni Arabic → languageSubbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Nabataean Arabic → languageSubfamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Fus’ha → subBranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
MSA → subBranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Maltese → subbranch → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Northwest Semitic → subclassOf → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
this entity surface form: Central Semitic
Arabic → subfamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ
Mesopotamian Arabic → subfamily → Central Semitic languages ⓘ