Semitic languages

The Semitic languages are a family of languages spoken by more than 250 million people across much of the Middle East, where they originated, and North and East Africa. They constitute the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, and the only family of this group spoken in Asia.

Related Topics:
Middle East - North - East Africa - Afro-Asiatic languages - Asia

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The most widely spoken Semitic language today is Arabic by far, followed by Amharic, Hebrew, and Tigrinya. Semitic languages were among the earliest to attain a written form, with Akkadian writing beginning in the middle of the third millennium BC. The term "Semitic" for these languages, after Shem son of Noah, is etymologically a misnomer in some ways (see Semitic), but is nonetheless standard.

Related Topics:
Language - Arabic - Amharic - Hebrew - Tigrinya - Akkadian - Shem - Noah - Etymologically - Misnomer - Semitic

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