HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 1st degree (Bachelor)

Responsible Department: School of Language Sciences

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: English

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Steven Fassberg

Coordinator Email: steven.fassberg@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: by appointment

Teaching Staff:
Prof Steven Fassberg

Course/Module description:
introduction to the classification, phonology, and morphology of the Semitic languages. Emphasis will be placed on the historical and diachronic description of the language family and its developemtn from Proto-Semitic

Course/Module aims:
to familiarize students with the evolution and development of the Semitic languages in the light of historical linguistic methods and to acquaint them with the genealogical relationship between the different Semitic families.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
student will understand the history of the Semitic languages and their interrelationships as well as recognize the achievements and difficulties in historical and comparative linguistics

Attendance requirements(%):
100

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: lectures and exercises

Course/Module Content:
1. schemes of classification
2. phonology
a. consonantal inventory
b. vocalic inventory
c. diphthongs
3. Verbal system
4. Nominal system

Required Reading:

י' בלאו, “הרהורים על מעמדן הלשוני של שתי שפות שמיות קדומות בעלות זיקה תרבותית למקרא”, לשוננו סט (תשס”ז), עמ' 220-215.

ח”א גינזברג, ההיסטוריה של עם ישראל, סדרה ראשונה, כרך שני:האבות, עמ' 75-62. העורך ב' מזר, תל-אביב תשכ”ז.

(H.L. Ginsberg, “The Northwest Semitic Languages,” pp. 102-124 in ed. B. Mazar, The World History of the Jewish People, 1.2: Patriarchs. Tel Aviv 1970.

ד' סיון, “מעמד האוגרתית בקרב הלשונות השמיות הצפוניות-מערביות בעקבות מחקר חדש”, תשורה לשמואל: מחקרים בעולם המקרא, עמ' 297-287. עורכים צ' טלשיר ואחרים. ירושלים שס”א.

ח”י פולוצקי, “הלשונות השמיות”, ההיסטוריה של עם ישראל, סדרה ראשונה, כרך ראשון: בשחר הציביליזציה, עמ' 70-67. העורך א”א ספייזר. תל-אביב תשכ”ז ( &eq;H.J. Polotsky, “Semitics,” pp. 99-111 in ed. E.A. Speiser, The World History of the Jewish People, 1.1: At the Dawn of Civilization. Tel-Aviv 1964.

ח' רבין, שפות שמיות. ירושלים תשנ”א.

J. Barth, Die Nominalbildung in den semitischen Sprachen. Leipzig 1894.

―――, Die Pronominalbildung in den semitischen Sprachen. Leipzig 1913.

P.R. Bennett, Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual. Winona Lake, Indiana 1998.

G. Bergsträsser, Introduction to the Semitic Languages, Text Specimens and Grammatical Sketches. Tr. P.T. Daniels. Winona Lake 1983 ( &eq; Einführung in die semitischen Sprachen, Sprachproben und grammatische Skizzen. München 1928).

C. Brockelmann, Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Berlin 1908-1913.

―――, Précis de linguistique sémitique. Paris 1910.
A. Butts, ed., Semitic Languages in Contact. Leiden, 2015.

D. Cohen, Dictionnaire des racines sémitiques ou attestées dans les langues sémitiques. 10 fascicles (ˀ - K). Paris 1970-.

A. Dolgopolsky, From Proto-Semitic to Hebrew. Phonology: Etymological Approach in a Hamito-Semitic Perspective. Milan 1999.

L. Edzard, Polygenesis, Convergence, and Entropy: An Alternative Model of Linguistic Evolution Appied to Semitic Linguistics. Wiesbaden 1998.

―――, ed., Semitic and Afroasiatic: Challenges and Opportunities. Wiesbaden 2012.

A. Faber, “Semitic Sibilants in an Afro-Asiatic Context,” Journal of Semitic Studies 29 (1984) 189-224,

――― “Akkadian Evidence for Proto-Semitic Affricates,” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 37 (1985) 100-107.

J. Fox, Semitic Nouns Patterns. Winona Lake, Indiana 2003.

W.R. Garr, Dialect Geography of Syria-Palestine, 1000-586 B.C.E. Philadelphia 1985.

―――, “The Comparative Method in Semitic Linguistics,” Aula Orientalis 23 (2005) 17-21.

G. Goldenberg, Semitic Languages: Features, Structures, Relations, Processes. Oxford 2013.

M.H. Goshen-Gottstein, Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Students’ Reader. Jerusalem 1976.

L.H. Gray, Introduction to Semitic Comparative Linguistics. New York 1934.

H. Gzella, ed., Languages from the World of the Bible. Boston/Berlin 2012.

J.-C. Haelewyck, Grammaire comparé des langue sémitques: éléments de phonétique, de morphologie et de syntaxe2. Bruxelles 2016.

J. Hackett and N. Pat-El, “On Canaanite and Historical Linguistics: A Rejoinder to Anson Rainey,” Maarav 17 (2010) 173-188.

Z. Harris, Development of the Canaanite Dialects: An Investigation in Linguistic History. New Haven 1939.

R. Hasselbach, Case in Semitic: Roles, Relations, and Reconstruction. Oxford 2013.

R. Hetzron, “Two Principles of Genetic Reconstruction,” Lingua 38 (1976) 89-108.

―――, ed., The Semitic Languages. New York 1998.

J.H. Hospers, A Basic Bibliography for the Study of the Semitic Languages. 2 vols. Leiden 1973.

J. Huehnergard, “Remarks on the Classification of the Northwest Semitic Languages,” pp. 282-293 in eds. J. Hoftijzer and G. van der Kooij, The Balaam Text from Deir Alla Re-evaluated: Proceedings of the International Symposium held at Leiden 21-24 August 1989. Leiden 1991.

―――, “Languages (Introductory),” Anchor Bible Dictionary 4:155-170. New York 1992.

*―――, “Semitic Languages,” 4:2117-2134 in ed. J.M. Sasson, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York 1995.

―――, “New Directions in the Study of Semitic Languages,” pp. 251-272 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz ,The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

―――, “Afro-Asiatic,” pp. 138-139 in ed. R.D. Woodard , The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World’s Ancient Languages. Cambridge 2003.

―――, “Features of Central Semitic,” pp. 155-203 in ed. A. Gianto, Biblical and Oriental Essays in Memory of William L. Moran ( &eq; Biblica et Orientalia 48). Rome 2005.

______ and N. Pat-El, The Semitic Languages2. London 2019.

S. Izre’el, ed., Semitic Linguistics: The State of the Art at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century (&eq; Israel Oriental Studies 20). Tel Aviv 2002.

――― and S. Raz, Studies in Modern Semitic Languages (&eq; Israel Oriental Studies 16). Tel Aviv 1996.

S.A. Kaufman, “Semitics: Directions and Re-Directions,” pp. 273-282 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz , The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

A.S. Kaye, ed., Phonologies of Asia and Africa, Vol. 1: Afroasiatic Languages. Winona Lake, Indiana 1997.

―――, ed., Morphologies of Asia and Africa, Vol. 1: Afroasiatic Languages. Winona Lake, Indiana 2007.

B. Kienast, Historische Semitische Sprachwissenschaft. Wiesbaden 2001.

N.J.C. Kouwenberg, The Akkadian Verb and Its Semitic Background. Winona Lake, Indiana 2010.

M. Krebernik, “The Linguistic Classification of Eblaite: Methods, Problems, and Results,” pp. 233-249 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz, The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

J. Kuryłowicz, Studies in Semitic Grammar and Metrics. London 1973.

E. Lipiński, Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar. Leuven 1997.

___, Semitic Linguistics in Historical Perspective. Leuven 2014.

A. Maman, Comparative Semitic Philology in the Middle Ages from Saʿadiah Gaon to Ibn Barūn (10th-12th C.). Leiden 2004.

S. Moscati et al., An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. Wiesbaden 1964.

Th. Nöldeke, Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg 1904.

―――, Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg 1910.

E. de Lacy O’Leary, Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. London 1923.

G. del Olmo Lete, Questions of Semitic Linguistics: Root and Lexeme. The History of Research. Bethesda, Maryland 2008.

_______, Studies in Common and Comparative Semitics. Selected Papers. Cordoba 2015.

J.N. Postgate, ed., Languages of Iraq: Ancient and Modern. Cambridge 2007.

*A. Rainey, “Redefining Hebrew ―A Transjordanian Language,” Maarav 14 (2007) 67-81.

A.D. Rubin, Studies in Semitic Grammaticalization. Winona Lake, Indiana 2005.

―――, A Brief Introduction to the Semitic Languages. Gorgias Handbooks 19. Piscataway, NJ 2010.

R. Stempel, Abriss einer historischen Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Frankfurt am Main 1999.

R.C. Steiner, The Case for Fricative-Laterals in Proto-Semitic. New Haven, Connecticut 1977.

―――, Affricated Ṣade in the Semitic Languages. New York 1982.

―――, “Addenda to The Case for Fricative-Laterals in Proto-Semitic,” pp. 1499-1513 in ed. A.S. Kaye, Semitic Studies in Honor of Wolf Leslau on the Occasion of His Eighty-Fifth Birthday November 14th, 1991. Wiesbaden 1991.

―――. Early Northwest Semitic Serpent Spells in the Pyramid Texts. Winona Lake, Indiana 2011.

R.M. Voigt, “The Classification of Central Semitic,” Journal of Semitic Studies 32 (1987) 1-21.
X5

S. Weninger et al., eds., The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook. Mouton 2011.

W. Wright, Lectures on the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. Cambridge 1890.

http://www.semiticbibliography.org/

Additional Reading Material:

י' בלאו, “הרהורים על מעמדן הלשוני של שתי שפות שמיות קדומות בעלות זיקה תרבותית למקרא”, לשוננו סט (תשס”ז), עמ' 220-215.

ח”א גינזברג, ההיסטוריה של עם ישראל, סדרה ראשונה, כרך שני:האבות, עמ' 75-62. העורך ב' מזר, תל-אביב תשכ”ז.

(H.L. Ginsberg, “The Northwest Semitic Languages,” pp. 102-124 in ed. B. Mazar, The World History of the Jewish People, 1.2: Patriarchs. Tel Aviv 1970.

ד' סיון, “מעמד האוגרתית בקרב הלשונות השמיות הצפוניות-מערביות בעקבות מחקר חדש”, תשורה לשמואל: מחקרים בעולם המקרא, עמ' 297-287. עורכים צ' טלשיר ואחרים. ירושלים שס”א.

ח”י פולוצקי, “הלשונות השמיות”, ההיסטוריה של עם ישראל, סדרה ראשונה, כרך ראשון: בשחר הציביליזציה, עמ' 70-67. העורך א”א ספייזר. תל-אביב תשכ”ז ( &eq;H.J. Polotsky, “Semitics,” pp. 99-111 in ed. E.A. Speiser, The World History of the Jewish People, 1.1: At the Dawn of Civilization. Tel-Aviv 1964.

ח' רבין, שפות שמיות. ירושלים תשנ”א.

J. Barth, Die Nominalbildung in den semitischen Sprachen. Leipzig 1894.

―――, Die Pronominalbildung in den semitischen Sprachen. Leipzig 1913.

P.R. Bennett, Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Manual. Winona Lake, Indiana 1998.

G. Bergsträsser, Introduction to the Semitic Languages, Text Specimens and Grammatical Sketches. Tr. P.T. Daniels. Winona Lake 1983 ( &eq; Einführung in die semitischen Sprachen, Sprachproben und grammatische Skizzen. München 1928).

C. Brockelmann, Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Berlin 1908-1913.

―――, Précis de linguistique sémitique. Paris 1910.
A. Butts, ed., Semitic Languages in Contact. Leiden, 2015.

D. Cohen, Dictionnaire des racines sémitiques ou attestées dans les langues sémitiques. 10 fascicles (ˀ - K). Paris 1970-.

A. Dolgopolsky, From Proto-Semitic to Hebrew. Phonology: Etymological Approach in a Hamito-Semitic Perspective. Milan 1999.

L. Edzard, Polygenesis, Convergence, and Entropy: An Alternative Model of Linguistic Evolution Appied to Semitic Linguistics. Wiesbaden 1998.

―――, ed., Semitic and Afroasiatic: Challenges and Opportunities. Wiesbaden 2012.

A. Faber, “Semitic Sibilants in an Afro-Asiatic Context,” Journal of Semitic Studies 29 (1984) 189-224,

――― “Akkadian Evidence for Proto-Semitic Affricates,” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 37 (1985) 100-107.

J. Fox, Semitic Nouns Patterns. Winona Lake, Indiana 2003.

W.R. Garr, Dialect Geography of Syria-Palestine, 1000-586 B.C.E. Philadelphia 1985.

―――, “The Comparative Method in Semitic Linguistics,” Aula Orientalis 23 (2005) 17-21.

G. Goldenberg, Semitic Languages: Features, Structures, Relations, Processes. Oxford 2013.

M.H. Goshen-Gottstein, Comparative Semitic Linguistics: A Students’ Reader. Jerusalem 1976.

L.H. Gray, Introduction to Semitic Comparative Linguistics. New York 1934.

H. Gzella, ed., Languages from the World of the Bible. Boston/Berlin 2012.

J.-C. Haelewyck, Grammaire comparé des langue sémitques: éléments de phonétique, de morphologie et de syntaxe2. Bruxelles 2016.

J. Hackett and N. Pat-El, “On Canaanite and Historical Linguistics: A Rejoinder to Anson Rainey,” Maarav 17 (2010) 173-188.

Z. Harris, Development of the Canaanite Dialects: An Investigation in Linguistic History. New Haven 1939.

R. Hasselbach, Case in Semitic: Roles, Relations, and Reconstruction. Oxford 2013.

R. Hetzron, “Two Principles of Genetic Reconstruction,” Lingua 38 (1976) 89-108.

―――, ed., The Semitic Languages. New York 1998.

J.H. Hospers, A Basic Bibliography for the Study of the Semitic Languages. 2 vols. Leiden 1973.

J. Huehnergard, “Remarks on the Classification of the Northwest Semitic Languages,” pp. 282-293 in eds. J. Hoftijzer and G. van der Kooij, The Balaam Text from Deir Alla Re-evaluated: Proceedings of the International Symposium held at Leiden 21-24 August 1989. Leiden 1991.

―――, “Languages (Introductory),” Anchor Bible Dictionary 4:155-170. New York 1992.

*―――, “Semitic Languages,” 4:2117-2134 in ed. J.M. Sasson, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York 1995.

―――, “New Directions in the Study of Semitic Languages,” pp. 251-272 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz ,The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

―――, “Afro-Asiatic,” pp. 138-139 in ed. R.D. Woodard , The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World’s Ancient Languages. Cambridge 2003.

―――, “Features of Central Semitic,” pp. 155-203 in ed. A. Gianto, Biblical and Oriental Essays in Memory of William L. Moran ( &eq; Biblica et Orientalia 48). Rome 2005.

______ and N. Pat-El, The Semitic Languages2. London 2019.

S. Izre’el, ed., Semitic Linguistics: The State of the Art at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century (&eq; Israel Oriental Studies 20). Tel Aviv 2002.

――― and S. Raz, Studies in Modern Semitic Languages (&eq; Israel Oriental Studies 16). Tel Aviv 1996.

S.A. Kaufman, “Semitics: Directions and Re-Directions,” pp. 273-282 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz , The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

A.S. Kaye, ed., Phonologies of Asia and Africa, Vol. 1: Afroasiatic Languages. Winona Lake, Indiana 1997.

―――, ed., Morphologies of Asia and Africa, Vol. 1: Afroasiatic Languages. Winona Lake, Indiana 2007.

B. Kienast, Historische Semitische Sprachwissenschaft. Wiesbaden 2001.

N.J.C. Kouwenberg, The Akkadian Verb and Its Semitic Background. Winona Lake, Indiana 2010.

M. Krebernik, “The Linguistic Classification of Eblaite: Methods, Problems, and Results,” pp. 233-249 in eds. J.S. Cooper and G.M. Schwartz, The Study of the Ancient Near East in the 21st Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference. Winona Lake, Indiana 1996.

J. Kuryłowicz, Studies in Semitic Grammar and Metrics. London 1973.

E. Lipiński, Semitic Languages: Outline of a Comparative Grammar. Leuven 1997.

___, Semitic Linguistics in Historical Perspective. Leuven 2014.

A. Maman, Comparative Semitic Philology in the Middle Ages from Saʿadiah Gaon to Ibn Barūn (10th-12th C.). Leiden 2004.

S. Moscati et al., An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. Wiesbaden 1964.

Th. Nöldeke, Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg 1904.

―――, Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft. Strassburg 1910.

E. de Lacy O’Leary, Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. London 1923.

G. del Olmo Lete, Questions of Semitic Linguistics: Root and Lexeme. The History of Research. Bethesda, Maryland 2008.

_______, Studies in Common and Comparative Semitics. Selected Papers. Cordoba 2015.

J.N. Postgate, ed., Languages of Iraq: Ancient and Modern. Cambridge 2007.

*A. Rainey, “Redefining Hebrew ―A Transjordanian Language,” Maarav 14 (2007) 67-81.

A.D. Rubin, Studies in Semitic Grammaticalization. Winona Lake, Indiana 2005.

―――, A Brief Introduction to the Semitic Languages. Gorgias Handbooks 19. Piscataway, NJ 2010.

R. Stempel, Abriss einer historischen Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Frankfurt am Main 1999.

R.C. Steiner, The Case for Fricative-Laterals in Proto-Semitic. New Haven, Connecticut 1977.

―――, Affricated Ṣade in the Semitic Languages. New York 1982.

―――, “Addenda to The Case for Fricative-Laterals in Proto-Semitic,” pp. 1499-1513 in ed. A.S. Kaye, Semitic Studies in Honor of Wolf Leslau on the Occasion of His Eighty-Fifth Birthday November 14th, 1991. Wiesbaden 1991.

―――. Early Northwest Semitic Serpent Spells in the Pyramid Texts. Winona Lake, Indiana 2011.

R.M. Voigt, “The Classification of Central Semitic,” Journal of Semitic Studies 32 (1987) 1-21.
X5

S. Weninger et al., eds., The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook. Mouton 2011.

W. Wright, Lectures on the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. Cambridge 1890.

http://www.semiticbibliography.org/

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 100 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information: