Berber and Semitic share many morphological and phonological similarities. Those similarities make me feel pretty good about reconstructing Proto-Afro-Asiatic (or at least Proto-Berber-Semitic). But good lexical matches are few and far between. A thread. #berber #semitic https://twitter.com/OlaWikander/status/1093577178300715009
The first one is the word for root for yellow, which I already pointed out in @OlaWikander's thread shares a clear connection. A PAA root *wrk seems easy to reconstruct. https://twitter.com/PhDniX/status/1093594654812110848
Proto-Berber *ăqqəd 'to burn' causative *əssuɣəd 'to cause to burn'
Pre-Proto-Berber probably?: *ăwḳəd; causative *əss-əwəḳəd
This is a good match with Semitic *wḳd 'to burn'.
PAA root: *wḳd
Pre-Proto-Berber probably?: *ăwḳəd; causative *əss-əwəḳəd
This is a good match with Semitic *wḳd 'to burn'.
PAA root: *wḳd
Proto-Berber *iləs 'tongue'
Proto-Semitic *lis-ān 'tongue'
PAA *lis ?
Perhaps "Belova's Law" operated: Prefixing of stem vowel before the stem. Usually identified as an PAA > Egyptian sound law and the words it applies to i Egyptian don't line up well with Berber.
Proto-Semitic *lis-ān 'tongue'
PAA *lis ?
Perhaps "Belova's Law" operated: Prefixing of stem vowel before the stem. Usually identified as an PAA > Egyptian sound law and the words it applies to i Egyptian don't line up well with Berber.
Proto-Berber *uləβ 'heart'
Proto-Semitic *lubb/libb 'heart'
PAA *lub ?
Another candidate for "Belova's law"
Proto-Semitic *lubb/libb 'heart'
PAA *lub ?
Another candidate for "Belova's law"
Proto-Berber *isəm 'name'
Proto-Semitic *sm 'name'
If ther Berber word is not an Arabic loanword, presumably PAA *sim
Proto-Semitic *sm 'name'
If ther Berber word is not an Arabic loanword, presumably PAA *sim
Proto-Berber *aman 'water' < Pre-PBerb *amăy-ăn? (a plurale tantum, *-ăn is the masculine plural suffix).
Proto-Semitic *māy or *may 'water'
PAA *may
Proto-Semitic *māy or *may 'water'
PAA *may
Proto-Berber *ămmət perfective *ămmut (irregular) 'to die'
Proto-Semitic *m-w-t 'rain'
PAA *m-w-t
Proto-Semitic *m-w-t 'rain'
PAA *m-w-t
Proto-Berber *ta-ʔβun-t '(mill) stone'
Proto-Semitic *ʔabn 'stone'
PAA *ʔ-b-n
Proto-Semitic *ʔabn 'stone'
PAA *ʔ-b-n
Proto-Berber *am(v̆)ẓar 'rain'
Proto-Semitic *maṭar 'rain'
This is the only example of a correspondence of PSem. *ṭ to PBerb. *ẓ, Difficult to know how to reconstruct but possibly cognate.
Proto-Semitic *maṭar 'rain'
This is the only example of a correspondence of PSem. *ṭ to PBerb. *ẓ, Difficult to know how to reconstruct but possibly cognate.
Proto-Berber *e-sen 'tooth' < Pre-PBerb *a-sen
Proto-Semitic *s¹inn 'tooth'
Proto-Semitic *s¹inn 'tooth'
Proto-berber *i-dămm-ăn (or *i-damm-ăn) 'blood'
Proto-Semitic *dam-
Proto-Semitic *dam-
Proto-Berber *ăɣrəʔ 'to shout, recite, read'
Proto-Semitic *ḳ-r-ʔ 'to shout, recite, read'
If not an early loanword from Arabic, Punic or Hebrew (the meaning 'to read' is definitely borrowed from one of those) reconstructible for PAA as *ḳ-r-ʔ
Proto-Semitic *ḳ-r-ʔ 'to shout, recite, read'
If not an early loanword from Arabic, Punic or Hebrew (the meaning 'to read' is definitely borrowed from one of those) reconstructible for PAA as *ḳ-r-ʔ
Proto-Berber *a-ɣris 'cold, ice'
Proto-Semitic *ḳ-r-s¹ 'snow/ice'
PAA *ḳ-r-s
Proto-Semitic *ḳ-r-s¹ 'snow/ice'
PAA *ḳ-r-s
Proto-Berber *t-uraʔ 'lung(s)' (plurale tantum; feminine)
Proto-Semitic *riʔ-at
PAA *ri/uʔ-t 'lung'
Proto-Semitic *riʔ-at
PAA *ri/uʔ-t 'lung'
Proto-Berber *ăfrəs 'to cut'
Proto-Semitic *p-r-s³
PAA *p-r-c ?
Proto-Semitic *p-r-s³
PAA *p-r-c ?
Prot-Berber *əqqăymăʔ 'to remain; sit' also often an inchoative auxliary verb "to understake to"
Proto-Semitic *q-w-m 'to remain; to stand'
Difficult to reconstruct but likely cognate.
PAA *ḳ-w/y-m?
Proto-Semitic *q-w-m 'to remain; to stand'
Difficult to reconstruct but likely cognate.
PAA *ḳ-w/y-m?
That's the ones I find fairly convincing. Most of what has been suggested is (frankly) crap. Usually based on words found ONLY in Arabic and Tuareg. Both have MASSIVE vocabularies, of which many words are isolated in their respective families. Bad basis for reconstruction.
In terms or morphology, a lot is striking.
The correspondences between the pronominal elements are rather clear:
Berber 1sg. -yyi / Sem -ī/-ya
Berber 2sg.m. -k (3sg.f. -m) / Sem -ka
Berber 3sg. -s / Sem -s¹u
Berber 3pl.m. -săn / Semi -s¹unu/-s¹umu
The correspondences between the pronominal elements are rather clear:
Berber 1sg. -yyi / Sem -ī/-ya
Berber 2sg.m. -k (3sg.f. -m) / Sem -ka
Berber 3sg. -s / Sem -s¹u
Berber 3pl.m. -săn / Semi -s¹unu/-s¹umu
The Berber prefix conjugation is extremely similar to the Semitic one:
Berber 1sg. v- / Sem ʔv-
Berber 3sg.m. yv- / Sem yv-
Berber 3sg.f. tv- / Sem tv-
Berber 1pl. nv- / Sem nv-.
Berber 2pl.m tv-...-ăn / Sem tv-...-ū(na)
Berber 1sg. v- / Sem ʔv-
Berber 3sg.m. yv- / Sem yv-
Berber 3sg.f. tv- / Sem tv-
Berber 1pl. nv- / Sem nv-.
Berber 2pl.m tv-...-ăn / Sem tv-...-ū(na)
Nominal morphology: Both have broken plurals. *n-based plural suffixes. Feminine suffix *-t. Besides that I have argued both have a feminine suffix *-ăy and *-āy. https://www.academia.edu/37112479/The_feminine_endings_-ay_and_-%C4%81y_in_Semitic_and_Berber
Maarten Kossmann and @bnuyaminim have an excellent article on the Proto-Berbero-Semitic verbal aspect system, many excellent correspondences: https://www.academia.edu/36081227/A_reconstruction_of_the_system_of_verb_aspects_in_proto-Berbero-Semitic
If I wont be in Tangier for the #IQSA international meeting, I'll probably present at #NACAL on the morphology of the Proto-Berber-Semitic Adjective, which is likewise rather encouraging in similar formation and development.
Some of these words have good cognates outside of Semitic and Berber as well, but did not want to stray into reconstructing language families like Chadic or understanding Egyptian historical phonology. Feel free to add suggestions for cognates under respective tweet!
I completely forgot another fairly convincing one:
Proto-Berber *ăssin
Proto-Semitic *ṯn-
The other two suggestions by @Redouane_Eagle are a bit more problematic but also possible (see comments below it). https://twitter.com/Redouane_Eagle/status/1093614486961967104
Proto-Berber *ăssin
Proto-Semitic *ṯn-
The other two suggestions by @Redouane_Eagle are a bit more problematic but also possible (see comments below it). https://twitter.com/Redouane_Eagle/status/1093614486961967104