Semitic languages

views updated

Semitic languages Group of languages spoken by peoples native to n Africa and the Middle East and forming one of the five branches of the Afro-Asiatic language family. The Semitic languages divide into three sub-branches: North West Semitic (including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Eblaite); North East Semitic (consisting of Akkadian); and Central and Southern Semitic (including Arabic, South Arabian, and Ethiopic). Only Hebrew and Arabic survived to develop modern forms.

More From encyclopedia.com