Ammonite language

Ammonite language

Infobox Language
name=Ammonite
region=Formerly spoken in northwestern Jordan
extinct=5th century BC
familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
fam2=Semitic
fam3=West Semitic
fam4=Central Semitic
fam5=Northwest Semitic
fam6=Canaanite
iso2=sem|iso3=aoq

The Ammonite language is the extinct Hebrew Canaanite language of the Ammonite people mentioned in the Bible, who used to live in modern-day Jordan, and after whom its capital Amman is named. Only fragments of their language survive - chiefly the 9th century BC [http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/westsem/citadel.html Amman Citadel Inscription] , the 7th-6th century BC Tell Siran bronze bottle, and a few ostraca. As far as can be determined from this small corpus, it was extremely similar to Biblical Hebrew, with some possible Aramaic influence including the use of "‘bd" instead of the more common Biblical Hebrew "‘śh" for "work". The only other notable difference with Biblical Hebrew is the sporadic retention of feminine singular "-t" (eg "’šħt" "cistern", but "‘lyh" "high (fem.)".)

Sources: F. Israel in D. Cohen (ed.), "Les Langues Chamito-semitiques", Paris: CNRS, 1988.

F. Aufrecht: "A Corpus of Ammonite Inscriptions". Lewiston: Mellen Press, 1989.


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