Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 2:21 AM, Anna <anna_berringer AT yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> Randall Buth: For example, the three vowel system of early-Semitic
> languages is confirmed by Arabic, Ugaritic, Akkadian, and even Hebrew itself
> when its morphology is carefully studied. (the Masoretes did not invent a
> language but preserved a non-Aramaic language that preserved ancient,
> pre-Masoretic features.) And Arabic with its attested CVC patterns broke off
> from the NorthWest Semitic languages before Hebrew and Aramaic separated,
> and long before Aramaic was able to influence Hebrew during the Second
> Temple. And certainly long before Aramaic was allegedly able to reconstruct
> the whole morphology of Hebrew (something that just doesn't happen in
> language contact).
>
>
> Anna Berringer: I fully agree with the views in regard to the three vowel
> system of early-Semitic languages.  However, the exact manner in which
> Semitic languages are classified into various branches and groups is still
> being debated among Semitists.
>
> For some, Arabic (with North Arabian which is considered essentially the
> same language) belongs to Central Semitic rather than the Northwestern
> Semitic group, while Ugaritic may well be an independent branch.
>


The point, of course, is that "the family that includes Arabic" split off
from "the family that includes Hebrew and Aramaic" long before Hebrew and
Aramaic split, and long long long before the Babylonian exile. There is
simply no responsible way for someone to claim that Hebrew was a CV language
without CVC. Why people would persist in such talk is a mystery. And that
should end the "BANTU-Swahili" talk on this list, but the track suggests
that it will just go on, regardless of the evidence or competence to
evaluate it.

And on general classification, please clarify a little bit. Arabic was not
included in NWS in my post, though it had been classed in the 'west' side of
a 'first' Semitic split from Akkadian. Three-way splits are also possible in
languages, resulting in a West--Central--East first node of Semitic. But
when you said, Ugaritic was a separate branch, I assume that you were
referring to a separate branch within NWS, or were you suggesting a four-way
split of the first Semitic node?



>
> Anna Berringer
> Cambridge, Massachusetts.
>
>


-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
Biblical Language Center
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