Quiz after reading week-Memorize korean (no cheat sheet on quiz)-See p.73 in textbook (korean vowels, onsets/codas..etc)-

Semitic scripts and Semitic family have some overlapsAkkadian is a semitic language, borrowed the language from Sumerian (which isnt Semitic)

Spread around the world-Most of the world is using a derivative of Semitic -Ladino (Juda-Spanish language) written in Hebrew-Malay and Achay were once written in Arabic script and sometimes still are-

Semitic scripts: From Spain to Indonesia

From Cuneiform to Egyptian, Chinese and Korean/Japanese, … Semitic moves away from logograms-The move away from Logography (logograms)

Both Cuneiform (with Akkadian) and Egyptian came close to phonological writing, but kept determiners and logograms throughout

-

Conservative like Chinese○

Each of these was used in a relatively conservative cultural center with ties going back to the origins of writing-

Writing was not developed here, it was borrowed○

The near east was not such a center -

Precursors?

The west semitic languages are at the crossroads between-

Eastern Semitic Akkadian - Cuneiform○

Hamitic Egyptian - Hieroglyphics○

Large empires and powers all met in the Aramaic sections (middle east section)-

It was here that the determinatives and logograms were finally discarded-

The Crossroads

Here no large empire ruled and a good number of dialects and languages-Region of trading ports reaching Egypt, Greece, Crete, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and beyond-

e.g. "book" - phonetic letters can be used to represent this word and enabling both people of diff language speaking cultures to understand and read

○

If Phoenicia has a phonological system, it is very easy for neighboring Hebrew or Aramaic speakers to adopt ○

Phonological writing enabled transferability between language-

Translating phoneician writing to their own writing / semitic writing within days (whereas … Chinese for example.. Took centuries..)

-

Small city states and kingdoms

Lec 6 Semitic ScriptsFebruary-12-1310:05 AM

Lectures Page 1

Where did Semitic writing originate?

Foreign words often done this way○

Egyptian could be written entirely phonologically with consonant uniliterals-

Egyptian had strong influence up into Byblos in Syria-

A semitic speaker learning to write their language using this system○

One can imagine…-

Cuneiform was syllabic (thus it was hard to follow/borrow from this)-

Egyptian as a model

Take the first phoneme (sound) of that morpheme (word)○

That pictorial symbol now represents that phoneme○

Acrophony = a pictorial symbol represents a morpheme-

-

Principle of Acrophony

Examples of Acrophony

Pattern of getting from Egyptian hierogphs to Semitic-It was believed that Sinai script was the overlapping evidence -'alpha' and 'beta' means nothing in Greek, but was borrowed from Phoneician-

By 1700 BC, people familiar with Egyptian writing-South Semitic writing diverges 1400 BC?-North Semitic - Phoenician develops -Phoenician writing system spread throughout the coast -

Later reduced to 22 (never changed until later in Arabic)○

Employed the concept of Acrophony to put together a 27-consonant inventory-

All these words began with consonants ○

Why no vowels? -

Simplified forms -

Semitic timeline

Phoenician Writing

Lectures Page 2

1500-1200 BC called Proto-Canaanite (same thing, its still "Phoenician")-Starting around 1200 BC with earliest long inscription: Ahiram Epitaph-

-

-

-

Phoenician Writing

p.120 in textbook similar tree-Western Semitic Script Tree

Ugaritic, same 22 letters but uses Cuneiform writing style (pressing stylus into clay) don’t focus -

After Phoenician - this is the first time we've seen such a divergence of scripts○

The versatility (the ease) of Phoenician is such that it is easily borrowed and modified○

2000 BC to 1000ish BC a couple of branches diverge-

Old Hebrew○

New Hebrew○

There are 2 Hebrews:-

So what does Phoneician look like?

Don’t memorize these..-Phonecian Abjad (assuming Proto-Sinaitic)

Lectures Page 3

-

During late Assyrian period (1000-600 BC), Aramaic became lingua franca of the entire Middle East, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Perisa

-

Approved by government○

Stayed the same until Greeks came○

Period of standardization-

After Hellenization, 4thc BC, Aramaic looses its status and the script starts to diverge-

Syriac, Palmyran, Nabatean, New Hebrew○

Nabatean becomes Arabic○

Syriac used as a liturgical language for Eastern christian traditions (no one really writing in it, it is still actively read)○

These all come from Aramaic:-

Aramaic

Note the Palmyra column-Note the Estrangelo column-

Aramaic Ajad

Left = Palmyra-

-

Right = Estrangelo -

Evolultion of Aramaic

Lectures Page 4

-

Stabilizing Aramaic was gone, thus different kingdoms were enable to write how they want-All consonants, no vowels-

To indicate vowels - they wrote the Greek vowels above the Phoneician consonants○

Mixed script of Aramic and Greek○

Vowels were important though, and there were strategies to have vowels-

Alphabets include vowels-Abjads don't include vowels-

How Abjads Work

E.g. English lexeme "Chair", this word consists "Ch-air", if "Chairs" = "ch-air-s"○

Common theory = in Semitic languages consonants are more important to identify lexemes-

Instead of "chair" = 'CH-AIR" , I would only have "CH- R" no vowels.○

Majority of Proto-semitic lexemes are 2- or 3- consonant roots-

Root words are consonants only○

Morphology is applied by alternating vowels within the surrounding those consonantal roots-

Only Consonants...why?

Semitic CCC roots: qbr 'to carry'

Consonants virtually the same across languages-

See ugaritic○

The lexeme is very recognizable but the morphology is absent-

Plural 2nd fem in Hebrew correction: "qeborma" (missing r)-The consonant roots are standard?-

Final short vowels deleted○

Sound change in Northern Semitic-

Written 'bj○

Old phoenician 'abija (father 1. GEN) -> 'abij-

'abij comes to be pronounced the same as abi (father 1)-

Start of writing vowels○

So the j in 'bj is reanalyzed to indicate long i (long i)-

Becomes panamuw -> panamu (long u)○

Old phoenician panamuwa (name) (pnmw)-

The w in pnmw is reanalyzed to indicate long u-

○

This system was expanded to write all long vowels, not just word-finally 'Scripta Plena' (full writing).-

Matres Lectionis

Scripta Plena was useful when transliterating Hellenistic loans and names which don't follow the 3 consonant root system-

Especially in scripture, adding letters is changing the sanctity of the text○

Semetic speakers didn’t seem to like how Scripta Plena changed the letters in a word-

A new system is needed as speakers do see the usefulness of indicating vowels-Still used at the end of words because didn’t change the word-

Script Plena scrapped

Worker complaining someone stole his coat-Paleo Hebrew: Mesad Hashavyahu Ostracon

After the Babylonian Exile, the Hebrew speakers gave up their old script and adopted Aramaic script for their language-Switch to New Hebrew

Lectures Page 5

After the Babylonian Exile, the Hebrew speakers gave up their old script and adopted Aramaic script for their language-This then evolved into square Hebrew-

-

p.122 image from dead sea scrolls - written in paleo hebrew, -

Maintains 22 consonant symbols-Some symbols have multiple sounds-

-

Some sounds are lost or merged the modern language-

-

-

5 consonants have word-final forms-Matre Lectionis-

-

These can also be their original consonant sounds-

Modern Hebrew Script - Consonants

Instead of Plena Scripta, 800 BC this system of dots (in conjunction with Matres Lectionis) developed-Do not need to memorize all the dots-

Pointing - Tiberian Diacritics

Lectures Page 6

Modern Hebrew only has 5 vowels {a, e, I,o,u} so this system now over-differentiates-Points can combine with Matres Lectiones-

-

Scripture○

Learners materials○

Poetry○

Kids books○

Pointing used in -

Never used in regular text-

For Hebrew, you don't need vowels I guess..○

What does this say about fluent reading?-

Tiberian Pointing: Uses

Arabic script

22 letters for a language with 28 consonants○

Originally from nabataean (200 AD) offshoot of Aramaic-

Arabic itself comes into being 622 when islamic writings become popular-

28 with diacritics/ dots above or below (i'jam) used to differentiate otherwise identical letters○

A cursive script with 18 basic letters (called rasm)-

<insert> has 5 different sounds -

Overview of Arabic script

Some calligraphy still write no diacritics, but is confusing:-Rasm only

Lectures Page 7

-

-

With consonant I'jam

Dots above and below letters used to distinguish otherwise identical rasms-

Diacritics fused to become like normal letters○

These are 'standard letters' and are sorted and learned distinctly, not longer 'diacritics'-

Like other semitic scripts, arabic employs matres lectionis-

-

This use of alif is original to Arabic-

Matres Lectionis

-

For short vowels, coda, consonants, and geminates-Used in scripture, kids books, learners materials and decoration-

Optional vowel Diacritics

Calligraphy Variants

Lectures Page 8

As a cursive script, the shape of a latter depends on where it occurs in a word-Some letters have 4 forms, other sonly join to the right-m --

-

r- (correction, its not 'd')-

-

Full chart in p.136 textbook

Isolated, Initial, Medial, Final forms

Southern Semitic scripts-Ethiopic

Old Ethiopic A typical Semitic Abjad-4thc, major innovations occur-In a sense, the vowel diacritics became merged within the consonat letter itself, no longer separate-

Debateable and unsure○

Perhaps the idea borrowed from Kharosthi in India? (along with left-to-right direction?)-

Until 19thc, most writing in Ge'ez (liturgical language of Christian Ethiopia)-Then vernaculars began using the script -

Ethiopic Abugida

Examples of Merged diacritics

Lectures Page 9

Latin, Cyrillic, Georgian, Armenian, Runic..

Greek○

Uyghur, Mongolian

Turkic and Hungnarian Runes

Sogdian○

Languages of India subcontinent, Tibet, SE Asian, Indonesia, Philippines

Indic○

Languages from Nigeria to Indonesia

Arabic○

Tifinagh (in North Africa, Berber people)○

Phoenician-Phoenician Legacy - Scripts

Offshoot of Aramaic in N Africa-Used primarily between 300BC and 300AD-Short inscriptions -

-

Tifinagh - Berber Abjad

20th century revitalization of Tifinagh-Changed from Left to right directionality-Vowels indicated-Official in Morocco as of 2003-

Revitalized Tifinagh Alphabet

Lectures Page 10

-

Quiz: Chinese, Jap/korean and today's lectureNo key for Korean (must memorize)

Lectures Page 11