Wiktionary:About Proto-Semitic

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Proto-Semitic is the reconstructed ancestor of all Semitic languages, old as well as modern. It is a descendant of Proto-Afroasiatic.

Notation

Consonants

Proto-Semitic consonants

Type	Manner	Voicing	Labial	Interdental	Alveolar	Palatal	Lateral	Velar/Uvular	Pharyngeal	Glottal
Obstruent	Stop	voiceless	*p		*t			*k
		emphatic			*ṭ			*ḳ		*ʔ
		voiced	*b		*d			*g
	Fricative	voiceless		*ṯ	*s	*š	*ś	*ḫ	*ḥ	*h
		emphatic		*ṯ̣	*ṣ		*ṣ́
		voiced		*ḏ	*z			*ḡ	*ʕ
Resonant	Trill				*r
	Approximant		*w			*y	*l
	Nasal		*m		*n

Note that ⟨*š⟩ stands for */s/, whereas ⟨*s⟩ stands for */t͡s/, and that ⟨*ḥ⟩ is not an emphatic ⟨*h⟩. Elsewhere, an underdot denotes an emphatic consonant and an underline a fricative consonant.

Vowels

The short vowels are *a, *i, and *u; the long vowels are *ā, *ī, and *ū. A vowel of unknown quality can be given as *V (short) or *V̄ (long).

Format

Entry name

Nominal, adjectival and verbal entries should just be the root followed by a hyphen, e.g. *ḳarn-.

Reliability

Proto-Semitic entries should always provide inherited reflexes in East and West Semitic. If the Western branch provides attestation but not the Eastern (Akkadian and Eblaite), the entry must be created as Proto-West Semitic.

Templates

Nouns should use {{sem-noun}} in the headword line, and {{sem-decl-noun}} to show inflection. If the plural stem is known, it must be indicated in both templates using the pl= parameter. Adjectives should show inflection with {{sem-decl-adj}}.

Descendants

When descended in the usual, linear fashion, descendants may be listed in the following order for consistency. The former contains only the most frequent languages; the latter is the full tree.

Most frequent tree

• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian:
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic:
      • Maltese:
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Aramaic:
      • Canaanite:
        • Hebrew:
        • Phoenician:
      • Ugaritic:
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Old South Arabian:
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic:
    • Ge'ez:
    • Tigrinya:

Full tree

• Ancient North Arabian:
• Chaha:
• East Semitic:
  • Akkadian:
  • Eblaite:
• Shehri:
• West Semitic:
  • Central Semitic:
    • Arabic:
      • Maltese:
    • Dadanitic:
    • Dumaitic:
    • Hasaitic:
    • Hismaic:
    • Northwest Semitic:
      • Amorite:
      • Aramaic:
      • Canaanite:
        • Ammonite:
        • Edomite:
        • Hebrew:
        • Moabite:
        • Phoenician:
        • Samaritan Hebrew:
      • Ugaritic:
    • Old South Arabian:
      • Minaean:
      • Old South Arabian:
      • Qatabanian:
      • Sabaean:
    • Safaitic:
    • Taymanitic:
    • Thamudic:
  • Ethiopian Semitic:
    • Amharic:
    • Argobba:
    • Dahalik:
    • Gafat:
    • Ge'ez:
    • Harari:
    • Inor:
    • Kistane:
    • Mesmes:
    • Mesqan:
    • Muher:
    • Sebat Bet Gurage:
    • Silt'e:
    • Tigre:
    • Tigrinya:
    • Wolane:
    • Zay:
  • Modern South Arabian:
    • Bathari:
    • Harsusi:
    • Hobyót:
    • Mehri:
    • Soqotri: