Changes

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]]

[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Sargon.jpg|right|frame]]

==Origin==

==Origin==

modern Latin Sēmīta, < late [[Latin]] Sēm, [[Greek]] Σήμ Shem

modern Latin Sēmīta, < late [[Latin]] Sēm, [[Greek]] Σήμ Shem

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 1848]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century 1848]

While the term ''Semite'' means a member of any of various ancient and modern Semitic-speaking peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Arabs, and Ethiopian Semites, it was proposed at first to refer to the languages related to Hebrew by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Ludwig_von_Schl%C3%B6zer Ludwig Schlözer], in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Eichhorn Eichhorn]'s "Repertorium", vol. VIII (Leipzig, 1781), p. 161. Through Eichhorn the name then came into general usage (cf. his "Einleitung in das Alte Testament" (Leipzig, 1787), I, p. 45). In his "Gesch. der neuen Sprachenkunde", pt. I (Göttingen, 1807) it had already become a fixed technical term.

While the term ''Semite'' means a member of any of various ancient and modern Semitic-speaking peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Arabs, and Ethiopian Semites, it was proposed at first to refer to the languages related to Hebrew by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Ludwig_von_Schl%C3%B6zer Ludwig Schlözer], in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Eichhorn Eichhorn]'s "Repertorium", vol. VIII (Leipzig, 1781), p. 161. Through Eichhorn the name then came into general usage (cf. his "Einleitung in das Alte Testament" (Leipzig, 1787), I, p. 45). In his "Gesch. der neuen Sprachenkunde", pt. I (Göttingen, 1807) it had already become a fixed technical term.

The word "Semitic" is an adjective derived from Shem, one of the three sons of Noah in the Bible (Genesis 5.32, 6.10, 10.21), or more precisely from the Greek derivative of that name, namely Σημ (Sēm); the noun form referring to a person is Semite.

The word "Semitic" is an adjective derived from Shem, one of the three sons of Noah in the Bible (Genesis 5.32, 6.10, 10.21), or more precisely from the Greek derivative of that name, namely Σημ (Sēm); the noun form referring to a person is Semite.

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1a : a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akkadian Akkadians], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia Phoenicians], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew Hebrews], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic Arabs]  

*1a : a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akkadian Akkadians], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia Phoenicians], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew Hebrews], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic Arabs]  

:b : a [[descendant]] of these peoples

:b : a descendant of these peoples

2: a member of a [[modern]] people speaking a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic#Languages Semitic language]

*2: a member of a [[modern]] people speaking a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic#Languages Semitic language]

==Description==

==Description==

In [[linguistics]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnology ethnology], '''Semitic''' (from the Biblical "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shem Shem]", Hebrew: שם‎, [[translated]] as "name", Arabic: ساميّ‎) was first used to refer to a [[language]] family of largely [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East Middle Eastern] origin, now called the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languages '''Semitic languages''']. This [[family]] includes the ancient and modern forms of Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Ge'ez, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Tigre and Tigrinya among others.

In [[linguistics]] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnology ethnology], '''Semitic''' (from the Biblical "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shem Shem]", Hebrew: שם‎, [[translated]] as "name", Arabic: ساميّ‎) was first used to refer to a [[language]] family of largely [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East Middle Eastern] origin, now called the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic_languages '''Semitic languages''']. This [[family]] includes the ancient and modern forms of Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Ge'ez, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Tigre and Tigrinya among others.

As language studies are interwoven with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_studies cultural studies], the term also came to describe the extended [[cultures]] and [[ethnicities]], as well as the [[history]] of these varied peoples as associated by close [[geographic]] and linguistic [[distribution]].  

As language studies are interwoven with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_studies cultural studies], the term also came to describe the extended [[cultures]] and [[ethnicities]], as well as the [[history]] of these varied peoples as associated by close [[geographic]] and linguistic [[distribution]].  

The hypothetical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Semitic Proto-Semitic] language, [[ancestral]] to historical Semitic languages in the Middle East, is thought to have been originally from either the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula Arabian Peninsula] (particularly around [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen Yemen]) or the adjacent Ethiopian highlands. But its region of [[origin]] is still much [[debated]] and uncertain with, for example, a recent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian bayesian] [[analysis]] identifying an origin for Semitic languages in the [[Levant]] around 5,750 BP with a single introduction from southern Arabia into Africa around 2,800 BP.  The Semitic language family is also considered a component of the larger [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afroasiatic Afroasiatic] macro-family of languages. Identification of the hypothetical proto-Semitic region of origin is therefore dependent on the larger geographic distributions of the other language families within Afroasiatic.

The hypothetical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Semitic Proto-Semitic] language, [[ancestral]] to historical Semitic languages in the Middle East, is thought to have been originally from either the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula Arabian Peninsula] (particularly around [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen Yemen]) or the adjacent Ethiopian highlands. But its region of [[origin]] is still much [[debated]] and uncertain with, for example, a recent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian bayesian] [[analysis]] identifying an origin for Semitic languages in the [[Levant]] around 5,750 BP with a single introduction from southern Arabia into Africa around 2,800 BP.  The Semitic language family is also considered a component of the larger [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afroasiatic Afroasiatic] macro-family of languages. Identification of the hypothetical proto-Semitic region of origin is therefore dependent on the larger geographic distributions of the other language families within Afroasiatic.

In a [[religious]] [[context]], the term 'Semitic' can refer to the religions associated with the speakers of these languages: thus [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] are often described as "Semitic religions" (irrespective of [[language]] family spoken by their adherents). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manicheanism Manicheanism] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandean Mandean] religion also fall within this category.

In a [[religious]] [[context]], the term 'Semitic' can refer to the religions associated with the speakers of these languages: thus [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] are often described as "Semitic religions" (irrespective of [[language]] family spoken by their adherents). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manicheanism Manicheanism] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandean Mandean] religion also fall within this category.

The term [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions Abrahamic religions] is more commonly used today. A truly comprehensive account of "Semitic" religions would include the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Semitic_religions Ancient Semitic religions] (such as the religions of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashurism Ashurism], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adad Adad], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadad Hadad]) that flourished in the Middle East before the Abrahamic religions.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic]

The term [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions Abrahamic religions] is more commonly used today. A truly comprehensive account of "Semitic" religions would include the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Semitic_religions Ancient Semitic religions] (such as the religions of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashurism Ashurism], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adad Adad], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadad Hadad]) that flourished in the Middle East before the Abrahamic religions.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semitic]

[[Category: History]]

[[Category: History]]

[[Category: Languages and Literature]]

[[Category: Languages and Literature]]