Taymanitic

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Taymanitic
Region Taymāʾ
Era mid-1st millennium BCE
Language codes
ISO 639-3

Taymanitic refers to the language and script of the oasis of Taymāʾ in northwestern Arabia starting in the 6th century BCE, though references to the existence of an indigenous script in Taymāʾ are attested in outside sources from the 8th century BCE.[1]

Classification

Taymanitic does not participate in the key innovations of Proto-Arabic, precluding it from being considered a member of the Arabic language family. Nevertheless, it shares one key isogloss with Northwest Semitic: the change w > y in word-initial position. Examples include yrḫ for *warḫum 'moon, month' and ydʿ for wadaʿa 'to know'.[2]

Characteristics

Taymanitic exhibits two major features which are innovative:[2]

  1. The change w > y in word-initial position: yrḫ for *warḫum 'moon, month' and ydʿ for wadaʿa 'to know'.
  2. The mergers *z, * > *z, *s3, * > *s3, and *, * > * (loss of interdentals).

References

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