Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ʔarbaʕ-

This Proto-Semitic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Semitic edit

Numeral edit

**Proto-Semitic numbers ^(edit)**
← 3	4	5 →
Cardinal: *ʔarbaʕ-

*ʔarbaʕ-

four

Usage notes edit

This number exhibited chiastic concord (gender polarity), in which masculine forms were used to agree with feminine nouns, and feminine forms with masculine nouns.

Inflection edit

Declension of *ʔarbaʕ-

Case	m	f
Nominative	*ʔarbaʕum	*ʔarbaʕatum
Genitive	*ʔarbaʕim	*ʔarbaʕatim
Accusative	*ʔarbaʕam	*ʔarbaʕatam

Descendants edit

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒐉 (erbet)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: أَرْبَعَة (ʔarbaʕa)
    - Egyptian Arabic: أربعة (ʔaṛbaʕa)
    - Maltese: erbgħa
    - Moroccan Arabic: ربعة (rabʕa), أربعة (ʔarbʕa)
  - Dadanitic: 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒 (ʾrbʿ)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic:
      Western Neo-Aramaic: ܐܪܒ݆ܥܐ m (ʾarpʿa), ܐܪܒ݆ܥ f (ʾarpaʿ)
      - Classical Syriac: ܐܰܪܒ݁ܥܳܐ (ʾarbʿā)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: אַרְבָּעָה ('arba'á, ʾarbāʿâ)
      - Phoenician: 𐤀𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤕 (ʾrbʿt)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎀𐎗𐎁𐎓𐎚 (ảrbʿt /⁠ʾarbaʿatu⁠/)
  - Safaitic: 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒 (ʾrbʿ /⁠ʾarbaʿ⁠/), 𐪑𐪇𐪈𐪒𐪉 (ʾrbʿt /⁠ʾarbaʿat⁠/)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Amharic: አራት (ʾärat)
  - Ge'ez: አርበዕቱ (ʾärbäʿtu)
  - Tigre: አርበዕ (ʾärbäʿ)
  - Tigrinya: ኣርባዕተ (ʾarbaʿtä)
→ Proto-Kartvelian: *arwa- (“eight”) (borrowed via a dual form)
- Proto-Georgian-Zan:
  - Old Georgian: რვაჲ (rvay)
    - Georgian: რვა (rva)
  - Zan:
    - Laz: ოვრო (ovro), ორვო (orvo)
    - Mingrelian: რუო (ruo), ბრუო (bruo)
- Svan: არა (ara)

References edit

Huehnergard, John (2019) “Proto-Semitic”, in Huehnergard, John and Na'ama Pat-El, editors, The Semitic Languages, 2nd edition, Routledge, →ISBN