Editing Ammonite language (section)

{{Short description|Extinct Semitic language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Ammonite
| region           = northwestern [[Jordan]]
| extinct          = 5th century BC
| familycolor      = Afro-Asiatic
| image            = File:Tel Siran bottle at the Jordan Archaeological Museum.jpg
| imagealt         = A bronze bottle on its side with text in the Phoenician alphabet "𐤅𐤀𐤔𐤇𐤕 / 𐤉𐤂𐤋 / 𐤅𐤉𐤔𐤌𐤇 /𐤁𐤉𐤅𐤌𐤕 𐤓𐤁𐤌 𐤅𐤁𐤔𐤍𐤕"
| imagecaption     = The [[Tel Siran inscription]].
| fam2             = [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]
| fam3             = [[West Semitic languages|West Semitic]]
| fam4             = [[Central Semitic languages|Central Semitic]]
| fam5             = [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]]
| fam6             = [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite]]
| fam7             = [[Canaanite languages#South Canaan|South]]
| iso3             = none
| linglist         = qgg
| glotto           = ammo1234
| glottorefname    = Ammonite
| states           = [[Ammon]]
}}

'''Ammonite''' is the extinct [[Canaanite language]] of the [[Ammon]]ite 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 [[Amman Citadel Inscription]],<ref>[http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/westsem/citadel.html Amman Citadel Inscription]</ref> the 7th–6th century BC [[Tel Siran inscription|Tel Siran bronze bottle]], and a few [[ostraca]]. As far as can be determined from the small corpus, it was extremely similar to [[Biblical Hebrew]], with some possible [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] influence including the use of the verb {{Transliteration|sem-x-ammonite|‘bd}} ({{lang|sem-x-ammonite|עבד}}) instead of the more common Biblical Hebrew {{Transliteration|hbo|‘śh}} ({{lang|hbo|עשה}}) for {{gloss|make}}. The only other notable difference with Biblical Hebrew is the sporadic retention of feminine singular {{lang|sem|-t}} ({{Transliteration|sem-x-ammonite|’šħt}} {{gloss|cistern}}, but {{Transliteration|sem-x-ammonite|‘lyh}} {{gloss|high [{{abbr|fem.|feminine}}]}}.) Ammonite also appears to have possessed largely typical correspondences of diphthongs, with words such as {{Transliteration|sem-x-ammonite|ywmt}} ({{lang|sem-x-ammonite|יומת}} {{lang|sem-x-proto|*yawmōt}}, {{gloss|days}})  both preserving {{IPA|/aw/}} and showing a shift to {{IPA|/o/}}, and other words such as {{Transliteration|sem-x-ammonite|yn}} ({{lang|sem-x-ammonite|ין}} {{gloss|wine}}) exhibiting a shift of {{IPA|/ay/}} to ''ē'' ({{lang|sem-x-ammonite|yēn}} < {{lang|sem-x-proto|*yayn}}) much like Hebrew.<ref>{{cite book | author = W. Randall Garr | date = 2004 | title = Dialect Geography of Syria-Palestine, 1000-586 B.C.E. | publisher = Eisenbrauns | pages = 37| isbn = 978-1-57506-091-0 | oclc = 1025228731 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=02DaEkaJizMC}}</ref>

It was first described as a separate language in 1970 by Italian Orientalist [[Giovanni Garbini]].{{sfn|Ahituv|1995}} Subsequently, a number of inscriptions previously identified as Hebrew, Phoenician, or Aramaic were reclassified, as a result of consensus around the similarity of the Amman Theatre Inscription, Amman Citadel Inscription, Tell Siren Bottle, Heshbon Ostraca, and Tell el-Mazer Ostraca.{{sfn|Aufrecht|2019|ps=: "The discovery of the Amman Theatre Inscription, Amman Citadel Inscription, Tell Siren Bottle, Heshbon Ostraca, and Tell el-Mazer Ostraca opened a new chapter in the study of ancient Northwest Semitic inscriptions with the recognition and analysis of the language and script of ancient Ammon. These new discoveries prompted a reclassification of a number of epigraphic materials previously identified as Hebrew, Phoenician, or Aramaic."}}<ref name="Richelle 2018 pp. 45–77">{{cite journal | last=Richelle | first=Matthieu | title=Revisiting the Ammonite Ostraca | journal=Maarav | publisher=University of Chicago Press | volume=22 | issue=1–2 | date=2018-01-01 | issn=0149-5712 | doi=10.1086/mar201822106 | pages=45–77|url=https://www.academia.edu/37069159}}</ref>